


Priorities

by sophboph



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Long, Manga & Anime, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 55,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25789069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophboph/pseuds/sophboph
Summary: Hoping to gain the resources to reunite her family, Yuki Xolflare joins the Hunter Exam with high hopes. Instead, she is thrown into a two-year adventure of friendship, self-discovery, and growing up.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

_‘So what will you choose?’_

The young aspiring Hunter slowly opened her pale blue eyes to be met with a sea of weapons, number plates, and grim expressions. She blinked as she escaped the meditative state she was previously in, the only evidence of its existence being her current peaceful mind. She gazed yet again at the impressive crowd of applicants that managed to make it past the preliminary rounds of the examination. Her hand fiddled with the innocent white pin on her open blue zip-up sweater, its **#13** proudly flickering in the lights of the tunnel.

Yuki stood up on the pipe overlooking the tunnel-like cavern of the Hunter Exam. She bent backwards, hearing a satisfying _pop_ in her back. Her zip-up sweater framed her light yellow button up shirt with a little side pocket. Her neck showed she was wearing a black turtle-neck shirt underneath. Her short denim bottoms were torn at the edges and her brown boots had long laces. On her yellow button-up was multiple metal pins that looked like a cherry, a cassette tape, a cat, and other miscellaneous items. She reached back and tightened her pony tail, a long trail of light blue, almost turquoise colored hair falling along her back. Adjusting her backpack, she jumped down onto the floor and began walking around.

_‘Mostly adults… few elders… few women…’_ she absent-mindedly examined. The crowd was emitting an extremely tense atmosphere, everyone putting on a tough expression. Before she continued, a loud voice called out behind her.

“Excuse me, miss!” She whipped her head around to see a large man wearing a blue and white outfit walk up to her. She uncomfortably shifted her feet, not in the mood for social interaction before such a high-stake exam. “Sorry to bother you, but I can’t help but notice this is your first time taking the exam, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” she looked around, trying to find a way out of the situation politely. “Um, can I help you, sir?”

“Oh, well I’m Tonpa! I came here not long after you did,” her eyes trailed down to his **#16** badge, “and I planned on talking to you, but you immediately went on up to that pipe and decided to rest, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Thank you for your consideration…” Tonpa observed the girl’s facial expression, seeing it to not much have changed from its neutral standpoint. “Well, if that’s all then I’ll just-“

"Oh, wait a second there, friend! To welcome you to the exam, me as a veteran likes to give you rookies a little good luck. Here, let’s make a toast.” He reached into his satchel, pulling out an orange soda can.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t drink soda. I'm- uh- allergic...to...that,” she awkwardly came up with an excuse. _‘Not to mention the likelihood of it being drugged is extremely high.’_ “Thank you for the offer though, good luck on the exam!” She quickly said, turning around and walking into the crowd, leaving behind the annoyed rookie-crusher.

The young girl continued her walk, only being interrupted by a self-proclaimed ninja who insisted he told his lifelong goals that were supposedly secret. Although, her journey was disturbed by a horrific scream. She swiftly turned around, her muscles tensed, and her hands hovering over her thighs, where knives were resting in holsters on her waist. Her light blue hair whipped around, and took a moment to settle as she identified the source of the scream.

‘ _Oh god a clown_ ’ she thought at first glance. Then, she noticed a man in Roman armor on the floor, trembling horrifically as he watched his arms disappear. He sputtered gave short, terrified screams. The girl’s eyes were open in shock and disgust, and a weird sense of awe at the seemingly impossible trick. She began trying to blend into the crowd once more, when applicant **#44** addressed his crowd of onlookers.

“Oh, how peculiar…” the magician drawled in a deep, silky voice. His amber eyes were narrowed and gleamed with nothing but pure amusement. His lips were set into a devious smirk that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

"His arms seem to have become flower petals.” He innocently spoke as if the man had just dropped in front of him and became a spectacle for no absolute reason. “No smoke and mirrors here.”

“Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize,” he supplied, looking at the crowd as if they were children in need of reprimanding. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of people’s faces as they looked over their shoulders, trying not to clearly display their fear.

_‘He’s bad news, let's add him on the list of people to never talk to.’_ The girl moved away as the jester stalked through the parting the crowd gladly made in order to save their own skins. She retreated into the sea of applicants once more, intending to finish her examination hopefully without any other incidents.

Yuki pulled out a box of ChocoRobo pouring out one of the sugary marbles and letting it melt on her tongue. _‘Sweets are the best at making things just a little bit happier’._ She remembered her mom’s favorite phrase, a gentle smile overtaking her face. She continued her walk with her eyes trained on the ground, absentmindedly eating the candy.

She heard a gasp of delight from in front of her, and her vision was filled with a shock of white and blue. Looking up, she saw the eager face of a boy seemingly close to her age. His hair was a flurry of white puffs and his eyes were like navy oceans. He wore a white short-sleeve v-neck over a blue long-sleeved turtle-neck.

“Hm?” she made a small noise, her mouth still full of the chocolate. The boy wasn’t staring at her, as much as he was at her treat. She quickly swallowed what she was eating. “Oh, the ChocoRobo.”

“Yeah, I love those things. Mind if I have one?” He gave a toothy cat-like grin.

“O-Oh, really? Isn’t that kind of dangerous?” She tilted her head and shuffled her feet. “Me being a stranger at all.”

“It’s fine,” he held out his hands in a cup-shape, jostling them towards her. She shrugged, pouring out a handful of the chocolate balls into his hand. He looked absolutely delighted, shoving two into his mouth immediately. “Thanks!” He exclaimed, his mouth still full. The sight was oddly endearing, making Yuki chuckle a little.

“Cool turtleneck,” she pointed out. “I’ve always loved them,” she mumbled, pointing at her own black one peeking out of her yellow button-up. The boy gave her a look up and down, as if he’s seeing her now for the first time since he’s gotten his sugar.

“How old are you?” He swallowed and asked.

“Twelve,” she supplied.

“Cool, I’m twelve too,” he grinned. “Everyone here is so boring,” he placed his now empty hands behind his head, rolling his yellow skateboard under his feet. “Got anymore chocolate?” He peeked behind her at her backpack.

“Yeah but…” she took shrugged her backpack further up her shoulders. “I'm saving them for later.” She shuffled apologetically. He pouted but took a step back. “Um, I’m Yuki.” She coughed before speaking, realizing the sentence’s abrupt cut into the conversation.

“Killua,” he simply responded. They stared at each other for a second before a mix between the sound of a bell and a dying squirrel disturbed them.

She turned to face the wall of the tunnel, which rose into the ceiling and attracted the attention of all of the applicants. Standing in the middle of what seemed to be an endless passageway, was a man in a suit with a short red tie, his lavender hair neatly combed, and his mustache moving with his words.

“I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!”

At these words, Yuki Xolflare squared her shoulders and wore a serious expression, her eyes glowing as she thought about what was to come. She listened as the examiner offered a word of warning to the aspiring Hunters, and as he offered an escape route for those who were having second thoughts.

"I guess this is it,” Killua hopped on his skateboard and began moving forward, leaving Yuki behind. Although, he quickly stopped and turned around. “You coming or what? Can’t have my sweet supply fail,” he smirked. Yuki paused before jogging lightly to catch up to him.

“I can’t tell if I should be offended or not, but thanks for the good luck?" They followed the tense crowd, her face falling in a focused expression as they picked up speed and began running through the tunnel.

“I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam’s Second Phase,” Satotz said in a formal voice, his words raising questions in people’s minds.

“Second Phase? What about Phase One?” the ninja, Hanzo, expressed everyone’s thoughts.

“It has already commenced,” Satotz replied.

Noises of confusion were heard from the applicants as they kept pace with the examiner.

“You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam’s First Phase.”

“Follow you? That’s it?”

“Yes. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me,” Satotz effectively ended the conversation.

_‘An endurance test is an effective way to pick off the physically weak. Although, he gave no regulations in means of following him. At least, I am okay with physical training and mental stress of not knowing when we will stop. I will past this exam, and I will find you, Haruto, Yuka. The Xolflare family will be untied if I have anything to do about it.’_


	2. Chapter 2

Yuki comfortably ran next to Killua as the boy’s skateboard made a calming rhythm on the stone floors. For the past two hours they had been playing small games like rock-paper-scissors, eating snacks from her backpack, and asking random questions to pass the time.

“Okay, how about this one, if you had a billion jenny, what would you do?” Killua fired off another inquiry.

“Honestly… I have no idea. Handling money isn’t something I’ve had a lot of experience in. I’d probably put it into savings just so I wouldn’t mess up using it.”

“Really? You wouldn’t spend it?”

“Well, maybe someday. I’ve always wanted to live in a big house somewhere quiet, like a small town. What would you do?”

“Snacks, hundred percent, no hesitation.”

Yuki laughed incredulously. “Okay my turn. If you- oh, watch out,” they both split up slightly to avoid a body laid on the floor. “Jeez, a lot of people have already dropped out, huh.”

Killua scoffed. “It’s only been thirty kilometers, these guys must be real losers.” Yuki frowned slightly at his wording. “Let’s move up,” he suddenly decided.

“O-Oh, like in the middle of the crowd?” Yuki stumbled slightly. “Uh, I think I’m good back here. I wouldn’t want to get in anyone’s way.”

“You wouldn’t,” Killua pouted at the denial. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” She pursed her lips slightly before following his lead, weaving around applicants easily.

“This is peer pressure,” she complained as she stuck close to his board.

“No, this is hilarious,” he watched with a grin at the suffering of the applicants around them. There was an unreasonable amount of sweating, panting men running and glaring slightly at Killua’s board. They began to pass one in particular wearing a full on suit with a briefcase.

 _‘It’s like he’s late for a job interview,_ ’ she observed. As they passed, the man shouted out to Killua.

“Hey! Wait up, kid!” He was clearly angry as he waved his fist in the air. Killua made a hum of acknowledgement, turning to face **#403** with clear indifference. Yuki tried to slightly hide on the other side of Killua, hoping not to make a scene. “You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!”

“What do you mean?” Killua turned his head slightly to the yeller.

“Why are you using a skateboard? That’s cheating!”

“Why?”

“Why…” the man seemed shocked at Killua’s genuine question. “This is an endurance test!”

“No it isn’t.” All three of them turned to the back where the younger voice interrupted. It was another young boy wearing all green. His **#405** tag was pinned neatly to his chest. He had wildly spiky dark green hair and light brown, almost amber colored eyes. Yuki could tell Killua was instantly intrigued by the sight of another kid.

“Gon, what are you saying?!” The man exclaimed.

“The examiner only told us to follow him.”

“Whose side are you on, eh?!” Yuki cringed back slightly at the repeatedly loud voice.

Killua grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and began slowing his speed to line up with the boy now identified as Gon. She let him drag her away from the hollering applicant gladly.

“Hey, hold old are you?” Killua tilted his head slightly. The boy turned to meet their eyes, innocent curiosity on his face.

“I’m twelve years old.”

Killua paused, just staring at him causing Gon to smile slightly. Out of nowhere, Killua kicked up the board and sent it spinning in the air, catching it swiftly in his hand before tucking it under his arms. “Guess I’ll run too.”

 _‘He’s trying to act cool,’_ Yuki smiled slightly as Gon made an exclamation of awe. She stayed quiet at their exchange. _‘Killua will probably latch onto Gon cause he’s a guy. Then they’ll stick together for the rest of the exam. Guess this is goodbye.’_ She began falling back slightly to distance herself. _‘Saved myself an excuse to leave. I’m probably dodging a bullet’_ she reasoned with herself. _‘Anyways, I should probably look at the maps back home one more time before I-“_

“Oi, Yuki, don’t tell me you’re getting tired.” She looked up to see both boys staring back at her curiously.

“Huh?” she blankly blurted. “Oh, uh, no.”

Gon began slowing his pace so he was next to Yuki, Killua following as well. “I’m Gon. You’re Yuki, right?” She nodded in response, her gaze meeting Killua’s cautiously as he raised his eyebrow in response.

“Nice to meet you,” she bowed slightly out of politeness. Gon gave a wide grin in response.

“Killua told me you were twelve too. That means we’re all the same age!”

Yuki felt that she had to cover he eyes at how brightly Gon’s smile was shining. _‘So much energy…_ ’

...

After a another two hours of running, Yuki could clearly say that Gon has victoriously won over her heart. The boy was so genuinely kind and innocent in everything he said and did that his positivity was almost contagious. There had been a little hiccup where the suit man had fallen behind, and Killua insisted they left him. Gon, bless his heart, managed to get him running again just by staring at the man.

...

After another hour, they began approaching a set of long, winding stairs up into more darkness.

“Gon, Yuki, wanna race to see who finishes first?” Killua grinned at them.

 _‘A race would be good. Having the mind focused on a goal always makes the journey seem to go by faster, especially if it’s a competition.’_ She hummed in agreement.

“Sure!” Gon exclaimed. “The loser has to buy dinner.”

 _‘Ah-wait’_ she instantly was about to take back her agreement, but Killua beat her to it, declaring the start of the race. They all began sprinting up the stairs, two with grins and one with a look of slight panic. It wasn’t long before they caught up to the suit man, who now was bare chested with his tie wrapped around his neck. Next to him was a blonde teenager wearing a white long sleeved shirt and pants, a grey satchel slung across his shoulder.

“See you at the goal, Kurapika,” Gon called out.

“Catch you later, old timer,” Killua added.

“I’m not old!” The suit man replied. “I’m a teenager, just like you guys!”

Yuki almost tripped over the next step at the statement. _‘He looks like he’s at least late twenties!’_ she stared at him. The blonde teenager noticed her on the far opposite side of their group and gave her a curious look. Yuki gave a slight wave before looking back up towards the top of the tunnel. She felt the blonde’s eyes leave her as she sighed slightly in relief. The three of them ran slightly faster up the stairs, weaving around more bodies lying in exhaustion.

“…I’m impressed you two can keep up with me,” Killua remarked.

Gon rubbed the back of his neck with a slight blush, “Really?”

“What, are you a professional marathon runner or something?” Yuki tilted her head at Killua’s odd statement.

“Hmm. I guess it’s just that everyone else is too slow,” he narrowed his eyes as if he was judging them. “Man, the Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze. That’s no fun.”

“To be fair, it is just the first phase. Plus each phase is very different from the last,” she comforted. “Besides, I’m not sure if the purpose of this is to have fun…”

“Hey, why do you guys want to become Hunters?” Gon asked.

Killua looked at Yuki for a second. “Uh, you first,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m not really interested in becoming a Hunter. I actually heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it’d be fun,” he answered. “But this is disappointing. What about you, Yuki?”

“Well…” she paused slightly in contemplation. “The short explanation is that a Hunter’s license opens up a lot of opportunities and information that otherwise would be unavailable. I guess that on top of the money is why I’m here,” she responded. “Gon?”

“My dad’s a Hunter. So I want to become a Hunter, like my dad.”

“That’s cool. What did he specialize in?” Yuki asked.

“I don’t know.”

They paused slightly before Killua and Yuki burst out laughing. “That’s kind of weird,” he explained.

“Really?”

“You want to be like your dad, but you don’t know anything about him?”

“I was raised by Mito-san, so I’ve only seen my dad in pictures.” Yuki looked at him, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“Who’s Mito-san?”

“Aunt Mito,” Gon explained. Killua grimaced slightly. “When he was twelve, my dad took the Hunter Exam. He passed and became a Hunter. Then he left the island. I want to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with me,” Gon said with a smile.

Yuki stared at him, her face further falling into confusion. “Why do you care?”

“Huh?” Gon turned to her.

“He left you. You’ve never known him, right?”

“Yeah,” he tilted his head.

“Huh… I guess we just think differently,” she mumbled. Killua watched their exchange before noticing a light coming from above them. People around them started exclaiming how it was finally over.

The three of them instantly increased their pace to try and finish the race. Yuki ran in the middle of the two boys as they passed everyone in the crowd, on the heels of the examiner. Just as they were about to touch the top step, the Satotz haulted and began turning around. As Yuki was in the middle of their trio, she had to make an abrupt stop as to not crash into the man.

“Goal!” Gon and Killua exclaimed, passing on either side of Satotz.

The examiner looked down to notice the girl standing in front of him on the last step. “Oh, sorry,” she mumbled, looking down as she shuffled around him and finally reached the top.

“Yay! We win!” Gon and Killua high fived each other.

“Yuki has to buy dinner!” the white haired boy gave a cat-like grin.

“No fair! I almost bumped into the examiner!” she defended herself.

“Nope! A deals a deal!” Killua countered.

She sulked at his declaration. “Can I make a meal instead of buying one?”

“Sure!” Gon replied with a thumbs up. “Hey, Satotz-san, is this where the Second Phase of the exam takes place?” he turned to the examiner.

“No, we still have quite a way to go,” the blank faced man replied. Gon pouted at the response.

Yuki looked around as much as she could through the thick fog. It seemed like they were surrounded by a thick swamp judging by the flora and animal noises in the distance. The three of them sat on the floor as they waited for the rest of the examinees to catch up. Eventually, Gon’s blonde friend and the suit teenager reached the top.

Gon gave a brief greeting as the blonde panted slightly. “Is this our destination?” he asked.

“No, it isn’t.”

“I see,” he mindlessly responded, slightly out of breath. “The fog is fading.”

Yuki turned to look out and noticed it as well. In front of them laid a giant, almost endless expanse of trees.

“The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam,” Satotz addressed everyone, “This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you… you’re dead.”

Applicants opened their mouths in shock and in slight caution and fear as they took in the examiner’s warning. Everyone’s attention was turned back to the opening of the tunnel as a metal screen began to drop.

“Wait for me!” applicant **#305** yelled as he desperately reached outwards, towards the crowd, only to be ignored.

 _‘It’s probably better that he fails safely in the tunnel and not out here in the swamp,’_ Yuki reasoned. ‘ _Still, that must be harsh to lose so close to succeeding…’_

“These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… Hence the name Swindlers Swamp. In other words, stay very close to me so you won’t be deceived,” he finished.

 _‘How interesting, a species evolved enough to interact with humans, yet they chose to deceive rather than hunt. I wonder how good they are?’_ Her question was swiftly answered as the next scene played out. An animal disguised as a man attempted to trick the crowd into thinking Satotz was a monkey of all things. _‘Wow, they must have really evolved to develop such tactics_.’ She watched in slight disappointment as the adults around her began falling for the trick of the animal. _‘Well if they fail they would be deserving of it. I’d be extremely impressed if a monkey could run eighty kilometers with ease like Satotz did_.’

Out of nowhere, playing cards zoomed past her, embedding themselves in the body of the animal.

“I see, I see… That settles it… You’re the real one,” the clown man thought out loud. Applicants looked shocked as they shifted their eyes towards Satotz, who dropped the playing cards that he previously caught with ease.

“Examiners are Hunters,” he supplied, “selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack.”

“I shall take that as a compliment,” Satotz responded, “However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?”

“Sure.”

The crowd began mumbling in disbelief, some even in embarrassment at being fool so easily. 

“We can’t relax our guard,” Killua reinforced.

Satotz explained the goal of the Man-Faced Ape, and reinforced his warning about the dangers of Swindler’s Swamp. It wasn’t before long that the marathon continued into the swamp.

 _‘Now we’re running on marsh, which requires more energy. At least we’re out of that dark tunnel.’_ She held tightly on the straps of her backpack. _‘This is just another obstacle. It’ll be over soon. Each step I’m getting closer.’_

She looked to her left and saw Gon, still a small serene smile on his face as his fishing pole swayed slightly behind him. On her right was Killua, skateboard still tucked under his arm and his hair bouncing with their steps.

_‘I’m getting closer.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So I was actually really conflicted on how to present Yuki this far in. Usually I get bored when the fic has little dialogue from the OC but I had to really consider who she was as a person going into the exam. The reason she’s socially awkward actually is important and will come up later. I hope that this time in the story, her morals, preferences, and struggles will be a lot more obvious. Overtime as she gets closer and more familiar with the boys, she’ll come out of her shell and start acting like the Yuki we know and love. Anyways, PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS! Honestly the comments are the only reason I post this story~ Hope you enjoyed


	3. Chapter 3

From what Yuki saw throughout their run was that the Numere Wetlands was not to be taken lightly. From the thick fog that could easily disorient anyone who was not paying attention, to the creatures that ominously lurked in the brush, waiting for a chance to attack. The applicants ran through the marsh, following the person ahead of them and praying that they knew where they were going.

“Pay attention. Be sure to stay close behind me,” Satotz advised.

Yuki looked at the two boys next to her. Gon, even though he was aware of the danger, had a smile plastered on his face as he ran through the Swamp. Killua, looked as if he was doing the most boring action known to mankind. She was glad that she was wearing boots, as each step on the marsh caused a splash of mud.

The fog got increasingly thicker, to the point where you could only see a few people ahead of you. Killua’s eyes suddenly narrowed and flickered behind them.

“Gon, Yuki…” he started.

“Huh?” Gon questioned.

“What’s wrong?” Yuki echoed.

“Let’s move up,” he advised.

“Okay. We don’t want to lose sight of the examiner,” Gon supplied.

“I’m more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka. Staying too close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air,” Killua expressed his concerns.

“Wait, smell? How can you smell a bad feeling?” Yuki questioned. “Either way, getting away from him is a good idea.”

Gon gave an experimental sniff into the air. He then turned to Yuki and said, “I don’t think he smells… Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should move up!”

 _‘So blunt…’_ Yuki internally sighed as she felt the stares of surrounding applicants. “Let’s not yell, Gon,” she suggested lightly. “It’s still a very tense atmosphere.”

“Oh! Sorry,” he exclaimed.

In the distance behind them, Leorio and Kurapika gave shouts of reassurance and told the trio to not worry about them.

“What?” Gon pouted, clearly worried and hesitant to leave.

“They’ll be fine, Gon. Don’t you trust them?” Yuki pat his shoulder. Gon hummed absentmindedly.

“Let’s go, Gon,” Killua instructed, moving forward.

“Ah, wait!”

…

The sounds of screams and thuds came from all around them, lost in the fog.

“This place has active and passive dangers… We really should stay on our guard,” Yuki frowned slightly.

“Active and passive?” Gon tilted his head.

“Oh, uh, active as in things that are seeking to hurt us, like a predator. Passive as in things that are lying around, only a danger if we interact with them, like poisonous plants or traps. If that makes sense,” she trailed off. “Point is, we can’t really relax out here.”

“I wonder if Leorio and Kurapika are okay…” Gon wondered.

Suddenly, Yuki felt the ground she had just stepped in sink more than usual. All three of them stopped, realizing something was off. Before she could retreat, the earth beneath them collapsed in a perfect circle, sending them straight down into a ditch. Walls seemed to burst up and quickly shut them inside a dark cavern as they fell screaming.

…

Yuki landed half on top of Gon, shuddering at the exposure of cold air. She quickly got off of him and started drying herself as much as she could of the frog’s insides.

“I… I’m simultaneously amazed and disgusted,” she shivered.

“Guess he didn’t like the taste of us.” Gon rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back at the retreating frog almost apologetically.

“Ah, that was me,” Yuki raised her hand. “When I was younger, I remember my brother dissected a frog. I just applied that anatomy to this big one and triggered its gag reflex.”

“Wah, that’s cool! Can you teach me?” Gon grinned.

Yuki laughed at his interest. “It’s kinda gross but sure.”

Gon turned slightly somber. “I’m still worried about Leorio and Kurapika…”

Killua stood up. His eyes were slightly narrowed, as if he was annoyed at Gon’s continued concern. “Forget about them. Let’s get a move on. We can still catch up to the examiner.”

“Killua, wait-“ Yuki was too slow as the boy had already started jogging ahead. Gon and Yuki started to follow before Gon suddenly stopped, looking behind him into the fog. “You really care about them, don’t you? Are you guys old friends?”

“Nope! I’ve only known them for a few days,” Gon shook his head. The girl stared at him in contemplation.

“We really are different…” she mumbled. “Well, are you sure you can find your way back?”

Gon looked back at her before nodding confidently. “Yup! I can follow your scent.”

Yuki stumbled before sighing in acceptance. She waved a small goodbye at Gon before running to catch up with Killua. She was a few paces behind him when he stopped.

“We’ve caught up to the main group,” he explained as Yuki caught up.

“Gon left to check on his friends.” Killua frowned while making a hum of disappointment. “No use in dwelling on it. The exam is more important right now.” She began running towards the group, Killua falling into step next to her.

…

They arrived at a tall wall made of tan brick, slowing down to a stop along with the examiner.

“I’m gonna look for Gon,” Killua mumbled as he stepped forward towards the crowd. Yuki hummed in acknowledgement.

She looked at Satotz, who seemed to be periodically checking his watch and looking out towards the Numere Wetlands.

 _‘I wonder if there’s a time limit…’_ She sat down against a tree, putting her backpack into her lap. _‘Hopefully Gon and his friends make it. He seemed like a sweet guy…’_ She shuffled through her backpack, pulling out a canteen of water and taking a sip. Focusing on her breathing, she began decreasing her heartrate steadily. _‘I should use this break to my advantage. No telling what the next phase will be.’_

After two years of practice, it wasn’t hard for her to slip into a meditation, just deep enough for her to replenish her energy while light enough to be able to sense if she were in danger.

…

“Excellent work, everyone,” Satotz’s voice pierced through the air. “Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you,” he finished, before leaving the applicants in front of the large gates.

Pulling out a snack bar, Yuki stood up, stretching her limbs and pealing back the plastic. She took a bite as she looked around the new exam site. Off towards the tree, she spotted a fishing pole sticking up through the heads of applicants.

 _‘Oh, he made it. That’s good to hear.’_ She was genuinely happy for the boy and his friends. Before she could make her way over, the massive gates began sliding open, revealing what looked to be a giant backyard of a mansion, filled with miniature cooking stations. In front of the mansion were two individuals, one sitting on the couch, and an even bigger one sitting behind the couch.

“Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?” The blue haired woman had her hair tied with red ribbon into four separate ponytails, so her head looked like a star. She wore denim shorts and brown boots, and she was wearing a black bra under a fishnet top, which caught the attention of half of the male applicants, to Yuki’s disturbance.

“I’m Menchi, the Second Phase examiner,” she introduced herself.

Behind her sat a giant man in a huge yellow shirt, his large appearance taking people by surprise. “And I’m Buhara, the other examiner,” the Hunter introduced himself.

Silence overcame everyone, until it was disturbed by a loud grumbling noise. Voices of confusion and slight trepidation escaped the lips of some of the applicants as they wearily looked around the clearing.

“You must be hungry,” Menchi commented as she looked up at Buhara.

“I’m starving…” Buhara complained.

“There you have it. Phase Two will involve… cooking!”

 _‘O-Oh, okay.’_ Yuki thought at the sudden break of tension in the crowd. _‘Cooking is a realistic standard of survival I suppose. Being able to tell when something is edible. In addition, often times morale can be boosted significantly in a group of survivors if they have warm, delicious meals.’_ She stood in the very back of the audience towards the side, not being able to see due to her stature in comparison to the adults. _‘In addition, this seems like much less of a taxing job than the first phase.’_

“Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate,” Menchi provided.

“Why do we have to cook?” a voice from the crowd childishly called out.

“That’s because we are Gourmet Hunters,” Menchi proudly said. Yuki widened her eyes in slight shock, but most of all respect. _‘It takes hard work to become a Gourmet Hunter. Constantly searching for new ingredients in dangerous places isn’t easy. Not only that, but it takes a lot of passion for cuisine in order to pursue that career.’_

It seemed that many applicants disagreed with her opinion based on the laughter she heard.

“So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?” an applicant sarcastically asked.

“Buhara.”

Yuki could feel the tremor in the ground as the large man stood up. “The required ingredient is pork,” Buhara revealed.

“Pork?”

“As in pig meat?”

 _‘Oh dear god,’_ Yuki deadpanned internally. _‘How are these people older than me?’_

“You’re free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious,” Buhara explained.

Menchi added, “And we will evaluate more than just the taste. Don’t underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it? When we’ve both eaten our fill, the exam will end.”

_‘More than taste? That implies presentation will be judged as well. That seems like kind of an unnecessary assessment…’_

“We get it. We get it. Let’s just start,” an applicant smugly stated.

“Then, the exam’s Second Phase,” Buhara slammed his hand on his stomach like a gong, “begins now!”

Yuki managed to jump behind a counter before she was crushed in the stampede of applicants leaving the door. “Ah, Ki-“ she began to shout out, hoping to catch her friends. “llua…” she lamely finished as all the applicants were suddenly gone, leaving her as the only person left. She heard the examiners talking to each other as she began walking towards a cooking station near the back.

“Hey, you there!”

Yuki stumbled slightly at the shout. She turned to see Menchi pointing at her with a stern expression. “Y-Yes ma’am?” Yuki answered.

“Why aren’t you out looking for pigs?”

“I thought I would plan out what I was going to make first before I killed the pig.” Menchi hummed slightly with a raised eyebrow. “I, uh, I know that fish, once killed, release stress hormones that causes their muscle to be filled with lactic acids, speeding up the breakdown of muscle and fat, losing flavor and texture. I’m not sure if pigs do anything similar so I just wanted to be safe and plan ahead…” she trailed off.

“Very well, you may continue,” Menchi’s expression turned into a pleasant smile as she sat back down.

Yuki nodded and continued to her station. She set down her backpack on the floor and began examining what was available. There was a bowl of vegetables, a cutting board with multiple knives, a sink, and a cabinet underneath full of basic spices, oils, and other cooking supplies. There was a large roasting spit set up over a massive grill in front of the station, which seemed to be the only cooking application.

 _‘There’s no ovens or stovetops. The only source of heat is from the roasting spit’_ She took off her sweater, folding it into her backpack and rolling up the sleeves of her black turtleneck.

 _‘How can I set myself apart from the other applicants? Based on what I know about their knowledge of food, exemplified by the previous encounter, they would most likely directly place the pig on the roasting spit without preparation.’_ She began washing the vegetables under cold water.

 _‘The next level of experience would be gutting the pig or cutting off a specific part. They said pork, not ham, so they’re leaving it open. There’s not really anything here to help gut the pig, so I’ll have to set that up myself.’_ She stood back to stare at the station as a whole.

 _‘Pig can be roasted, smoked, cooked, steamed, salted, or grilled. If they expect us to roast it, well, roasting pork typically takes two hours. That should be enough of a window to do any method…’_ Yuki noticed under the counter was a large pot. She took it out, plopping it onto the counter.

_‘I’m forgetting something important. These examiners are gourmet hunters. They’ll easily pick out any imperfection in the meat. The easiest way to hide that would be… a stew! A pork stew uses the required ingredient as well as the vegetables. There’s no stove, but I can use the flames from the roasting spit for heat.’_

From underneath the counter, she found a bag of dried beans and a bottle of bay leaves. In the bowl of vegetables, she found carrots, celery, an onion, cabbage, kale, and garlic cloves. _‘This should be perfect.’_

…

Yuki finally headed out to the Biska Forest Park once she felt that she had made enough preparations. The rest of the applicants had already caught their pigs and were, just as she expected, throwing them on the roasting spit without care. One thing she noticed was that all of the monstrous pigs had injuries on their foreheads, and no other wounds.

Quickly deducing that they were all killed due to that one weak point, it didn’t take long for her to single out a sizable pig and planting a dagger straight into the top of its skull. She quickly picked up the pig, holding it over her head with a small grunt.

…

“Oh, Yuki!”

As she re-entered the exam site, she heard Gon call out to her. He was enthusiastically waving to her with an apron tied around him. Leorio and Kurapika stood next to him. Leorio had a sizable bruise on his cheek. She smiled back at him and balanced the pig on one hand, waving with the other. She moved back to her station and set the giant pig on the countertop.

_‘Now, how am I going to gut this monster?’_

…

Yuki balanced two bowls of steaming stew in her hands, making her way up to the examiners. The giant pile of bones behind Buhara and Menchi’s displeased expression revealed the past two hours of the exam. Each applicant had gone up with a charred pig, and was swiftly rejected.

As she got closer to the table, she noticed Menchi perk up slightly, the frown on her face was still present. She set down her bowls and stood back. _‘I hate public examination like this, but this is the only way to pass.’_

“A stew, huh?” Menchi uncrossed her legs and sat forward, picking up the spoon on the table and scooping up some of the broth. Buhara didn’t bother, picking up the whole bowl and chugging it down as if it was water. He immediately held up a blue circle as he licked his lips.

After a few seconds of examining, Menchi finally tasted the stew. Yuki waited a few baited breaths before Menchi lifted a blue X.

“It’s bland and plain. Nothing special.”

Yuki stood there for a moment with an impassive expression. Then she quietly walked away from the table and towards her station. She distantly heard someone call her name, but didn’t stop to check.

 _‘I failed…’_ she sat down so her back was resting on the cabinet, staring at the brick wall in front of her. _‘That means everything will have to be set back by a year. I’ll have to burden Sensei for another year, keep them waiting for another year_ …’

Suddenly Yuki brought her own hands up and slapped both of her cheeks. In her head, she heard the voice of a young girl shouting, _‘Cheer up, dummy!’_

 _‘That’s right. This is just a minor setback. I’ll train another year, get stronger, learn more, and maybe find a lead!’_

“Hey, Yuki,”

Yuki gave a yelp of surprise before looking up, seeing Killua’s head peering down at her over the counter. “Killua,” she dumbly responded.

“Why are your cheeks red?” he raised his eyebrow.

“Why are you laying on top of the counter?” she replied. Killua’s body was laying stomach down on the counter in order for him to peer down at her.

“Touché,” he complied. He rolled off and pointed at the pot of leftover stew. “Did you make this?” She hummed with a nod. He picked up a spoon and dipped into the pot, taking some out and tasting it. “Hey, this is pretty good,” his eyes lit up as he began to take more bites.

“Well, I guess it wasn’t good enough to pass.”

Killua glared towards the examiners. “That woman is crazy. She’s been failing everyone, I didn’t even bother to make anything. I don’t even know the first thing about cooking, anyways.”

“She has very high standards. I learned how to cook through experience. And even then, the people I was cooking for didn’t care much for gourmet dishes.”

Killua’s face became cat-like. “Do you know how to make chocolate cake?”

Yuki’s face became exasperated. “Yes.”

“Can you-“

“No.”

Killua exhaled loudly with a pout. They were interrupted by the sound of Buhara.

“That was so much food. I’m stuffed!” he happily exclaimed.

Menchi added, “Yeah, I’m stuffed, too. No one passes. We’re finished here!”

“That’s not normal,” Yuki frowned.

“Huh?”

“There was only two cases in which zero applicants passed, and both were because they all died.”

Before she could explain more, shouts of protest came from the crowd of applicants. Although, things went downhill when the an applicant punched the counter of one of the stations until it bent in half. “I won’t accept it… I absolutely refuse to accept this!” he sneered.

“In the end, you’ve still failed,” Menchi calmly responded.

“Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to-“

“I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious… None of you made anything remotely delicious. You all did almost the same thing. There was no effort made… and just when I thought someone else actually tried, they only changed the appearance. **#13** was the only one who did something creative, but even then it was average! You people didn’t even attempt to emphasize the flavor. I’m positive that none of you took cooking seriously!” Menchi finished, her temper rising.

“Pork dishes, are all the same…” Hanzo shrugged. Menchi was next to him in an instant.

“Just say that once more. Any more crap from you, and I’ll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Don’t you mess with me! I don’t want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can’t even roast a pig! Hey! What did you just say? Why don’t you repeat it to my face?!” She finished by sitting down on the couch with her legs crossed. “In other words, you people don’t have the guts to try anything new.”

“Shut up! I’m not trying to become a cook or a gourmet… I want to be a Hunter!” The rowdy applicant raised his fist in the air, earning sounds of agreement from most of the applicants. “My goal is to become a Black List Hunter. I refuse to let a _mere_ Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!”

“Too bad you got stuck with a _mere_ Gourmet Hunter as an examiner… Better luck next year?”

His face became red with anger. “Why, you… Don’t mock me!” he yelled as he charged towards Menchi, his fists outstretched.

Within a second, Buhara had slapped him into the air, sending him flying towards one of the pillars of the gate. He landed with a loud ‘thump’.

“Buhara, don’t interfere,” Menchi ordered.

“Well… If I hadn’t intervened, you’d have killed him, right?” Buhara acknowledged.

Menchi stood up to reveal an array of butcher knives clutched in her fists. “Probably,” she started, “Let me clarify this…We frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients.” She held up her knives and began to skillfully toss them in the air. “Every Hunter knows some form of martial art.” She juggled the knives easily while making each individual knife spin on its own. “You lack focus and the willingness to experiment.” She once again caught the knives in her hand and pointed them at the applicants. “That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!”

Some applicants looked ashamed, some looked dejected, but most people looked angry. Yuki began feeling uneasy for some unknown reason, the hair on her arms standing up.

“That said,” a voice was heard from above the clearing, “it would be excessive to fail every single applicant.”

Yuki looked up to see a giant blimp, with a shark like appearance, teeth and all. Although, on the side of the blimp she noticed the symbol of the Hunters Association. _‘Most likely someone from the Selection Committee whose come to reason with Menchi.’_

Her musings were cut short when she saw a figure falling from the blimp, or rather, jumping down. When the figure landed, dust was blown everywhere, and Yuki tried her best to shield her eyes while keeping watch of what landed. When the dust cleared, the sound of wooden footsteps echoed through the clearing. An old man with long eyebrows, a pony tail, and ear piercings emerged from the dust wearing a white and blue kimono. The tip of his long beard was colored a dark grey.

“The Chairman of the Selection Committee. He’s in charge of the Hunter Exam… Chairman Netero.”

“Well, I work behind the scenes. I only take action when there’s an issue, like now. So, Menchi-kun…” his withered voice spoke up.

“Yes,” Menchi immediately responded.

“You failed the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance-“ Yuki noticed him sneak a look at Menchi’s breasts “-to try new things?”

“No sir, I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary.

“In other words, you’re aware that this exam was unacceptable.”

“Yes, sir. When cooking is involved, I lose control. I’m unqualified to be an examiner… I will resign as an examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!”

“Hmm… but it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice.

“I apologize…”

“Very well. How about this? I’d like to you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose. Is that acceptable? I’m sure it would help the applicants to accept the results.”

“That’s true… Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs! Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?”

“Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you’re doing. Certainly, I can.”

 _‘So this isn’t the end?’_ Yuki felt tension she didn’t know she had leave her body. _‘Guess I wasn’t as accepting of that failure as I thought…’_

_…_

They arrived at a giant mountain with, as the names implied, a large crack splitting it in half. The airship landed next to the crack, and everyone went outside and peered down.

“Okay, everyone… Look down there,” Menchi instructed.

“Wh-What is that?” Hanzo asked.

Menchi proceeded to talk about the animals that took shelter in the large crack. Occasionally an intense updraft would escape from the crack, blowing applicants off of their feet if they weren’t balanced enough. Chairman Netero would also feed some information to the awe struck applicants.

After their explanation, Menchi confidently jumped off of the edge of the cliff, grabbed onto a strand of web, and proceeded to do backflips until her momentum was fully gone. She dangled off of the string, waiting. When her hair lightly swayed in a tiny breeze, she dropped from the web. She kept falling until a powerful wind brought her back up to the mountain.

“That looks fun,” Killua grinned. Yuki agreed whole-heartedly.

“This ravine has updrafts that help hatched chicks fly up to the web,” Netero explained.

“There. Now I just need to boil the egg.”

“I’ve been waiting for this!” Gon exclaimed before they all jumped down with smiles.

…

“This is amazing,” Yuki felt like melting at the taste of the dream egg. “It’s so good,” she bounced on her feet in raw happiness. Killua stood next to her, his face also expressing the deliciousness of the egg.

“Hey, **#13**.” Yuki turned to see Menchi walking towards her.

She quickly swallowed before answering. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I want to apologize for failing you earlier. You tried something out of the box, and utilized what you were given to the fullest. Please don’t take my previous judgement as truth.”

“I-It’s okay,” Yuki looked towards the ground with a blush on her face. “You were angry at that applicant for being rude.”

Menchi smiled. “Hey, if you pass, consider becoming a Gourmet Hunter. I’m willing to take you under my wing. You show potential.”

Yuki immediately looked up with a small frown. “Thank you, ma’am, but I’ll have to decline.” She lowered her head in apology.

“Hmm, can I ask why?”

“I’m sorry, but I have other goals in mind.” Menchi paused before shrugging.

“Very well. Either way, good job,” she gave a thumbs up before walking away.

_‘So many applicants have failed and it’s only been two phases. I can only hope the third one will be easy.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I skipped a lot of scenes in order to make it not drag on. Also, I hope you liked her little deducing scene on what to make. That thing about fish was actually something that I knew off the top of my head, but I didn’t know if it applied to other animals :P. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and tell me your thoughts! I always look forward to them. 


	4. Chapter 4

The hum of the airship became constant as they flew toward the Third Phase exam site. The forty-three remaining applicants stood at the front of the ship in a large room with hardwood floors, windows on every side to show the night sky. Chairman Netero stood in front next to a small green creature.

“Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-three remaining applicants. I am Netero, Chairman of this year’s Hunter Exam Selection Committee,” Netero provided as he gazed at the tense applicants.

“I am his secretary, Beans,” the small, green attendant next to him added.

“Originally, I’d planned to make my appearance during the exam’s final phase, but as I’m already here… I’m loving this tension in the air!” Netero’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Immediately afterward, as if Killua was disagreeing, the boy gave a sleepy yawn.

“So I think I’ll stick around for the rest of the trip,” Netero laughed. Yuki noticed that his laugh was a mix of a jolly old man and a practiced diplomat.

“We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at 8 AM.” Bean’s smile never left his round face. “You’ll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You are also welcome to get some rest. In other words, you’re free to do as you please until you are contacted.”

Yuki immediately felt a sense of nervousness. _‘What if this is a ploy to catch us off guard and the Third Exam happens tonight?_ ’ Before her thoughts could spiral any more, Killua turned to her and Gon.

“Okay guys! Let’s explore the airship!”

“Yeah!” Gon immediately responded.

“M-Maybe we should-“ Gon immediately reached over and grabbed Yuki’s hand pulling her behind him as he and Killua raced off.

“Come on, Yuki! It’ll be fun!” He explained.

 _‘I guess if they’re not stopping us, it should be fine. After all, we’re free to roam…’_ She couldn’t find the heart to stop Gon as he excitedly dragged her through the hallways with a big smile.

…

“Hey kids! Stay out of the kitchen! Go eat in the dining hall!”

Yuki heard the shout of the head chef as he dumped both boys in the hallway in front of her. Each carried a giant leg of meat with mischievous looks on their faces.

“Told you that you’d get caught,” she couldn’t help but say.

…

The three of them walked down the well-lit hallway, the two boys munching on their stolen meal.

“Wow, awesome!” Killua suddenly exclaimed, running over to the wall of windows. “Come look!”

“Hmm? What is it?” The two other kids ran over as well. They were met by a gorgeous ocean of lights from the city below. It looked like a glowing grid due to the street lights and city plan. Yuki couldn’t help but stare in absolute awe. It was a sight she could only dream about when she was younger.

“It’s like the ground is covered in jewels!” Gon commented. They all took a moment to rest their elbows on the window sill and look out into the distance. “Hey, I was wondering… Where are your guy’s parents?”

Yuki stayed silent, simply staring out into the view and trying to soak up as many details as possible in order to relay them later to her sister. Killua took that as his que to talk first.

“Hmm… They’re alive. Probably.”

“What do they do?”

“They’re assassins.”

“Huh? Both of them?/Oh that’s cool” Gon questioned as Yuki absentmindedly stated.

Killua paused, looking over to Gon while Yuki still looked out the window. He scrunched up his eyes as he laughed heartily. “That’s your first reaction? You two really are a riot!”

“Huh?” Yuki hummed.

Killua and Gon sat on the bench in front of the window meant for spectating. Yuki didn’t move from her spot, her cheek resting on her hand.

“You’re the first person who’s ever responded seriously. And Yuki acted like I just stated the weather.”

“Well, you’re telling the truth, right?” Gon retaliated.

“What makes you think that?”

“It’s just a hunch.”

Yuki took a moment to decide how she was going to answer. “Well, where I’m from, assassins are as normal as a rainy day. I knew a lot of people with family members who were in that profession.” The boys looked at her with curious expressions.

“That’s weird…” Killua replied to both of them, “because they can’t ever tell whether I’m serious… I’m from a family of assassins. So they’re all assassins.” He stared out the window, copying Yuki’s position with his chin resting on his palm. He seemed almost bitter about the statement. “And my family has…” he adopted a sarcastic grin, “really high hopes for me… But I can’t stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?”

 _‘Oh, that sounds nice,’_ Yuki thought. _‘A complete plan with a known destination… no worries. But I can see how Killua isn’t that type of person. He’s adventurous, not stay at home.’_

“When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped!” Killua turned to them incredulously. “My mom had tears streaming down her face as she told me that I have the potential to be a top assassin.” Gon gave a hesitant laugh. “Horrible parents, right? It’s natural their kid would go bad. We ended up fighting.”

Yuki took out a thermos filled with tea and began taking small sips.

“So I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side, and ran away from home.” Yuki choked slightly on her drink, coughing as it went down the wrong tube. “I’m sure their out for blood now,” Killua’s face turned cat-like. “But if they find me, I’ll send them packing.” His face became blissful as he declared, “When I become a Hunter, I’ll start by capturing my family. I’m sure they’re worth some hefty bounties…”

Gon rubbed the back of his neck in disbelief. “What about you, Yuki? Where are your parents?”

Yuki lifted herself up so she was sitting on the ledge, her back leaning against the window. She put her backpack beside her and took out a bento box. She opened it to reveal a full meal, somehow still hot despite being locked up for a whole day. She began picking at it as she spoke calmly.

“My mom died when I was five due to a heart condition.” Yuki looked up to their faces. They both seemed to retain that childlike curiosity. “There weren’t a lot of doctors where I was from, and even then, it wasn’t like we had any money to get her treated.”

“Where are you from?” Gon tilted his head.

“…This might be a shot in the dark, but have you ever heard the phrase, _‘We’ll accept anything you leave here, but don’t ever take anything away from us.’_ ”

Gon shook his head but Killua narrowed his eyes. “That kind of sounds familiar, but I can’t think of where I heard it from.”

“Well, if you’re parents are assassins, it would make sense that they knew it. I learned that motto when I was three.”

“Motto?” both boys echoed.

“The motto of Meteor City.” Both boys still looked clueless. “To be blunt, it’s a junkyard. A big one at that with millions of inhabitants. The only catch is that each _citizen_ is an outcast. We don’t exist in any official records, and the existence of the city itself is known to few due to government censoring.” She took a bite from her bento before continuing.

“A lot of criminal organizations like that fact, and take in new recruits from city. Mafia in particular invest a lot into the city to try and keep people from at least not dying from malnutrition or dehydration. A lot of people don’t like that, but that’s not the point” She paused. “I’m… one of the luckier inhabitants. My mom was born and raised there as well. She had a… house almost. It was made of old junk but it was sturdy. It was just big enough to hold our family of four.”

“What about your dad?” Killua asked.

“Never knew him, never want to know him,” Yuki firmly stated. Gon seemed to frown at that statement. She smiled at him carefully. “That’s what I mean by we’re different, Gon. I have no interest in learning anything about my father.” Her smile faded “He could be dead in a ditch and I would not even spare him a glance.” Her left hand began to cramp and she winced before clutching it.

“Are you-“

Suddenly Gon and Killua snapped their heads around at the feeling of deep dread, as if someone was piercing into their souls. It was coming from a hallway that turned into the ship. Yuki turned to look, not knowing what they were doing. They all stood in tense silence before a voice came from behind them.

“Something wrong?” Netero’s wooden sandals clacked against he floors as he walked innocently toward them. Yuki gave a sigh, realizing it was the old man playing tricks. She didn’t realize one of the pins on her shirt was trembling slightly. She put away her meal and shrugged on her backpack.

“Ah, Netero-san… Did you see anyone coming from that side?” He pointed down the opposite end of the hall. Yuki and Killua glanced at each other, the boy with narrowed eyes.

“No,” the man shook his head.

“You’re pretty fast for an old man,” Killua smiled, his expression guarded.

“Killua,” Yuki exclaimed at the rude language.

Netero didn’t seem bothered. “That little trick? I barely moved,” he smiled. The two of them had a staring contest, Killua not feeding into any of his playful act. Gon looked back and forth as Yuki wished she could have eaten her dinner in peace.

“What do you want? You don’t have to do anything until the last phase, right?”

“No need to be so unkind. I got bored, and was looking for some companions. By the way, I meant to ask the three of you… Any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?”

“Uh-huh! It’s fun!” Gon innocently grinned. “And there haven’t been any of the written exams I was dreading.”

“Fine,” Yuki simply answered, not wanting to insult on the disorganization of the Second Phase.

“I’m disappointed… I expected the exam to be far more difficult. I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?”

“Well, now… I wouldn’t know about that.”

Killua looked irritated by the man’s antics. He turned around and swiftly called out for his friends to follow.

“Now wait just a moment.” Killua stopped but didn’t turn around. “Would you care to play a game with me?”

“A game?” Yuki echoed.

“If you’re able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters!” Netero looked at her as he answered.

“Really? I’ll play!” Gon instantly answered.

Killua and Yuki stayed silent as the boy turned around to meet the old man’s eyes.

“How about it, eh?”

…

Netero bounced the yellow and black ball onto the hardwood floors, now donning a black undershirt and light grey sweatpants

“Now, I’ll go over the rules of the game. If you can take this ball from me, before the airship reaches its destination, you win. I believe that we’re scheduled for an 8 AM arrival?” Netero began to spin the ball on one finger. “Well, that still gives you nine hours. You’re free to attack me however you’d like. I won’t touch you.”

“Huh? That’s too easy. You can’t call that a game,” Gon commented.

“So, why don’t one of you try taking the ball?” Netero challenged.

“We just have to take the ball?” Killua clarified.

“Yeah.” Netero winked. He looked over to Yuki who sat on the floor near the door, her back to the blue padded walls. She had a pad of paper in her lap and a paintbrush dipped in ink in her hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to play? You could be a Hunter by the morning.”

“No thank you,” Yuki looked up as she answered politely.

“Eh? Why?” Gon pouted at the prospect of not playing with both of his friends.

“You’ll see,” she simply responded before turning back to her paper. _‘I need to practice my writing. Sensei could use some help in making ofuda*’_ She didn’t look up as she heard Killua declare he would go first. Soon the sounds of jumping and grunting filled the room as she assumed Killua was fighting for the ball. She finished her first practice ofuda and set it aside to dry.

She suddenly looked up in alarm as Killua began yowling in pain. He was hopping around, clutching his shin. She immediately began ruffling around in her bag as Gon yelled to tag in. Killua limped over to sit next to her.

She pulled out first a box of chocorobos, handing it to a grumpy Killua who began yelling at Gon for messing up. The boy began to shove them in his mouth as yuki pulled out a small bottle of cream.

“Is it okay if I put bruise cream on your shin? It’s already a pretty dark color.” It didn’t help that the boy was so pale that any color seemed twice as dark.

“It’s fine. It’ll be gone by morning.”

“I promise you won’t feel-“

“I said it’s fine!” Killua snapped.

Killua immediately froze, realizing his mistake too soon. He hesitantly glanced over at Yuki to see her face in a blank stare, yet her muscles were tensed and she had a small frown. “What did you just say to me?” she calmly asked.

Killua blanched before holding out his leg. “T-That I would be so grateful for some bruise cream, thank you!”

Yuki immediately smiled warmly as she began applying it. “You’re welcome!”

‘ _So she_ can _be scary_.’

…

Yuki became almost a snack bar as the boys continuously attacked Netero over and over. She provided water, bandaids, or whatever else they needed to regain their energy before jumping back into the fray. _‘It’s useless,’_ she wanted to say. _‘Isaac Netero, Chairman of the Hunter Association. The resume on this guy is insane.’_ She frowned slightly at the old man. _‘He’s not doing this to test us… He’s doing this to have fun. Therefore, he has no intention of letting them win. He only wants to be entertained.’_

She began nodding off as her sleepiness from the day caught up to her. _‘Usually I would take this as a training experience, but I really need to fully be prepared for the actual test tomorrow.’_

Although she noticed that Killua was becoming more and more irritated. Suddenly it turned into something more dangerous than mere annoyance.

“Forget it… I give up. I lose! Yuki was right.” He shrugged, turning around and getting ready to walk out.

“Why we still have time. And just now, we came really close,” Gon pointed out.

Killua picked up his discarded white over shirt. “Jeez. You really have no clue, do you?” He turned to Yuki.

“Netero-san has barely used his right hand or left leg,” she explained.

“Eh?” Gon’s eyebrows shot to his forehead.

“But we’re still powerless against him,” Killua added. “We could chase him around for a year, and never take the ball from him.

“Oh, you figured it out?” Netero smiled. “And here I thought I’d fooled at least two of you.”

“So that’s what he was doing,” Gon mumbled.

Killua stood in the doorway with an irritated smile. “Haha,” he gave a forced laugh. “You really know how to piss me off, old man. Let’s go, you two!”

“Oh, I’m gonna play a little longer,” Gon objected.

“Huh?” Killua immediately jumped in Gon’s face. “Didn’t you hear what Yuki said? It’s useless! You won’t be able to take the ball from him!”

“Killua, he doesn’t care about the ball anymore,” Yuki sighed. Gon nodded at her statement.

“We’ve only used up half of the time limit. I’m gonna make Netero-san use his right hand before the time runs out.”

Killua looked as if his soul had left his body. “I see... yeah, I got it, good luck. I’m getting some sleep, and Yuki is half asleep already on the floor.” He reached out and offered his hand to the girl who took it as he pulled her up. She yawned tiredly.

“Sorry, Gon, I’m still not used to staying up late,” she waved at him as she happily let Killua pull her out.

…

“Oh, wait!” the two of them had been walking for a minute before Yuki stopped them. Killua looked back at her. “I forgot my backpack on the floor. I’ll meet you in the rooms, okay?” She quickly said before running back to the practice room. She faintly heard a group of applicants approaching from the opposite direction, but didn’t pay any mind as she hurried back.

…

When she entered the practice room, she saw Gon snoring on the floor, laid out as a starfish. He had a sizable bruise on his forehead. Netero was no longer in the room. She assumed that he had gone after Gon declared it was time to sleep. She walked over after picking up her backpack, shaking the boy slightly.

He mumbled quietly before turning over, somehow snoring with a smile. Yuki pulled him up and slung his arm over her shoulder, the boy holding up his weight barely on his feet. She began walking out of the room, Gon sleepily walking as well, yet still putting most of his weight on the girl. As she exited the room, she saw Killua approaching in the way she had come from.

“It’s blocked over there, let’s go this way.”

 _‘I know for a fact it’s not…’_ she thought, but chose not to comment as Killua helped her carry Gon down the hallway. They found an empty room, put down their belongings and all collapsed into a heap next to each other, their limbs falling on each other’s bodies in a sleepy pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The Ofuda is customarily renewed annually before the end of a year, and then attached to a door, pillar, or ceiling. It may also be placed inside a private shrine (kamidana). It is believed to protect the family in residence from general harm, such as a disease.
> 
> Author’s Note: Hello! It’s currently midnight and I just finished writing this in three hours :D. My cat was laying on my left arm and my hand fell asleep while I was writing. Anyways, I started giving out snippets of Yuki’s origin here, so I hope it was easy to follow! I took the information straight from the Hunterpedia so it would be accurate. PLEASE COMMENT! I love them so much, and I can promise I will always respond! I’m changing the title/cover soon as well. Thanks for reading and supporting!


	5. Chapter 5

The airship landed at the top of a massive tower made of tan stone, the air thin with the high elevation. The view was beautiful across the horizon, with bright blue skies and fluffy clouds. Yuki took deep breaths, never having been to such heights. However, the top of the tower had nothing in sight, only tiled stone stretching from one end to the other.

The applicants all turned as Secretary Beans cleared his throat. “Everyone, this is the starting point for the Third Phase. This is the top of Trick Tower. You’ll pass if you’re able to reach the bottom alive. The time limit is 72 hours. Well then. The Third Phase now begins.” He wished good luck to the applicants, boarded the airship, and left the applicants murmuring on the tower.

Yuki held onto the straps of Gon’s backpack as he leaned over the tower to judge the height. The boy gave a small sigh of awe at the mountainous elevation.

“Are we supposed to get down there?” suit man solemnly asked. Yuki realized that she didn’t know his or the blonde’s name.

“Isn’t this just suicide?” The blonde crossed his arms. They stared over the edge of the stone in silence before a smug voice called out.

“A normal person can’t do it.” Applicant **#86** stood with a smirk on his face. Without any preparation, he walked to the edge, and began scaling down the tower, using the cracks between tiles as footholds. “Such a task is a piece of cake for a professional rock climber like me.”

“Amazing,” Killua awed.

“He’s going down with ease,” Gon raised his eyebrows.

“Wait,” Yuki tightened her grip on Gon’s backpack, not letting him have any ideas. “Let him be a guinea pig for a little bit.” She felt the stares of the blonde and suit as she peered straight down at the applicant. _‘This is called Trick Tower. It wouldn’t have earned its name if it was so easy to get through. There might be certain tiles that will release spikes or something crazy like that.’_

It didn’t take long before the flapping of wings became louder and louder. Out of seemingly nowhere, giant creatures came bursting into the sky. Their heads were egg-shaped with massive mouths laced with razor teeth. They had six legs and gargantuan wings. It didn’t take long for one of them to swoop upwards to the applicant, taking him into its mouth as he screamed for mercy.

Yuki let go of Gon’s backpack and patted his head. “And that’s why we observe instead of risk.”

“I-I don’t think we’ll be able to get down by climbing down the wall.” The suit man clutched his suitcase like a teddy bear in his arms.

…

Gon, Killua, and Yuki began walking around the top of the Tower in search of some other way down. Gon pulled Yuki’s hand along as she swerved her head around, mumbling numbers under her breath. Suddenly she stopped, yanking Gon as well.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“19. There are 19 applicants here.” She mumbled, still looking around.

“And?”

“There were 23 when we started.” She looked back at the two of them. “People have been finding a way inside. Let’s start observing the applicants.”

It didn’t take long before they noticed a man prodding at the floor. Suddenly he took a step forward, and the tile flipped underneath him, sending him down into the tower. They all ran over to the tile and crouched in front of it. Gon gave it a few nudges, but it wouldn’t budge.

“One-person sized, one-use tiles. That means we’ll each have to find our own.” Yuki began taking steps backwards and looking around once more. “At least four have been-“ she was cut off as the tiles beneath her suddenly gave away and she watched within a second as the two boys reached out to grab her, only to miss, sending her plunging into the darkness.

…

The girl landed with a thud on cold ground, quickly standing up and whipping her head around. She sat in a small chamber with purple bricks for walls. On one wall was a metal door and a small podium.

Sitting on the stone stand was a sign. The sign read, “From now until forever, you alone will embark on the path of choice.”

“Well that sounds ominous,” she mumbled.

“ **Welcome to the Third Phase. I’m the prison warden, and your examiner, Lippo.** ” A voice from a loud speaker

 _‘This is a prison?’_ Yuki wanted to ask.

“ **There are several routes in this tower. You have landed in the route of choice. To continue, you must decide the fate of yourself and other examiners on this path. To begin, put the timer on. Good luck!** ”

She placed the bracelet around her wrist, clasping it shut. The time read: 71:44:02. Underneath the timer was a green button and a red button. _‘Looks like only twenty minutes have passed.’_ As soon as she put on the timer, the door slid open into another chamber.

Walking into the next room, the entrance behind her quickly closed shut. In the center of the chamber was another pedestal under a large screen. At the far end of the room was another metal door.

“ **Please approach the podium** ,” an automated voice instructed cheerfully.

Yuki swallowed nervously before walking forward. 

“ **The rules of this game are simple. There are currently other applicants going through this route throughout the Tower. This section of the game is a competitive mode. Right now there is another individual in another chamber identical to the one you’re in now. The next room you’ll face will have an opponent you must defeat to continue.** ”

Yuki’s hands reached over to her holsters, and she grabbed the hilt of her dagger.

“ **But based on your decision in this room, you can decide the difficulty of the next challenge. Now, the other individual has the same choice as you do. There are four outcomes that could happen based on your decisions here. If you both choose trust, you both face the challenge as it was originally designed, meaning you’ll face a competition against one prisoner. However, that doesn’t need to happen! That’s what the forsake button is for. If both parties choose forsake, you’ll both have to face a more difficult version of the challenge. But, if you choose forsake, and they choose trust, you won’t have to go through the trial at all. Your opponent however, will face a nearly impossible version of the trial. The reverse in this case, is also true.** ”

Yuki paused to collect all of the information. “So the four options, from best to worst, are Forsake-Trust, Trust-Trust, Forsake-Forsake, or Trust-Forsake.”

“ **Exactly. For trust, press the green button on your timer. For forsake, press the red button.** ”

‘ _Well then, the obvious answer is to choose Forsake. The 1 st and 3rd best options require me to do so. However, that would be a death wish to the other person. What if it’s Gon or Killua?’ _

“Who’s the other person choosing?”

“ **I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that**.”

_‘Gon would definitely choose trust… but mostly everyone else would choose forsake.’_

“Can I ask how many people are currently on this path?”

“ **I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that**.”

 _‘Gon, I really hope you’re not the one choosing.’_ Yuki’s finger firmly pressed on the red button. The screen above the podium illuminated.

YOU CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

THEY CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

Yuki’s body deflated in relief. She chose the best option to combat her opponent’s choice. If she had chosen trust, she would’ve been in a world of trouble.

The metal door once again slid open into yet another chamber of brick and stone. This time there was nothing in the chamber except for the metal door at the end, and in front of it, a figure shrouded in a brown cloak. The figure was large and muscular, with handcuffs clasped on their wrists.

“I assume you’re my challenge?” Yuki called out. She needed to pass this, and she was not going to cut any corners.

The handcuffs on the figure suddenly unclasped, dropping to the floor with a loud clang. They reached their hand up to lower their hood, revealing the scruffy face of a smirking adult male.

“Indeed,” his voice echoed on the stone. “And you chose forsake. Bad luck.”

“Indeed,” Yuki repeated, pulling out her dagger.

“Easy there, girly. They also chose forsake, meaning that I get to make this a little more difficult,” his smirk grew.

Yuki narrowed her eyes at him warningly.

“I say… no weapons.”

“Huh?” she startled.

“Yup. That’s your disadvantage. Let’s see you beat me, scrawny.” He gestured toward her tauntingly.

The girl regained her stony face. “Very well.” She dropped her daggers on the floor. Going into her jacket pockets, she pulled out a switchblade, dropping it as well. She sat down, reaching into her boots to pull out two more knives, and under them to get three more. Finally, she dropped her backpack and blue jacket on top of the pile, rolling up her black turtleneck. “That’s all.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Very well.” He repeated. “Then let’s begin by setting some boundaries. The fight ends when one of us is either unconscious or dead. Understand?”

She gave a quick nod.

“Well then-“ he charged at her “-let’s start!”

…

Yuki stared down at the man who was twitching on the ground, foam frothing from his mouth and his eyes wide. She raised the syringe in her hand to eye-level. “You know, it’s really on your part for not specifying what _weapons_ you were referring to. As far as I know, this medicine and this syringe is used to save lives. It just happens that the normal amount is a quarter of what I gave you.”

Staring at the syringe for a few seconds, she frowned slightly. The medical device was shaking slightly. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was her actually her hand that was trembling.

“I’m holding it, not him,” she barely whispered before capping it, dropping it to the floor, and kicking it to a corner of the room. As Yuki gathered her belongings, the metal door slid open, revealing another room with a podium under a screen.

…

YOU CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

THEY CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

...

YOU CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

THEY CHOSE:

**TRUST**

...

YOU CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

THEY CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

…

Yuki endured through three more of the same repeated challenge. Trust or forsake, prisoner, trust or forsake, prisoner. Each one was different, the first wanted arm wrestling, and her disadvantage was that she had to use her non-dominant hand. Yuki was lucky that she had trained with that hand as well, and although it was grueling, she made it through. The second one had no one to fight, so she walked through. The third one wanted to win a game of cards, and her disadvantage was that her opponent could see her cards. She just made it so that even if he knew her cards, she would make an unbeatable hand.

She stood in front of the podium, the familiar symbols edging her to choose her fate. Turning toward the ceiling, she questioned, “So how many of these cycles do I have to go through until the end?”

“ **I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.** ”

The timer on her watch blinked 69:54:37. _‘It’s been two hours of this cycle. There has to be a way to break it.’_ Looking at the choices, she realized that she had been picking the same choice every time. “Okay then. Let’s hope this doesn’t kill me,” she mumbled before pressing the green button on the watch.

YOU CHOSE:

**TRUST**

THEY CHOSE:

**FORSAKE**

“Wonderful.” The metal door slid open, although this time, it revealed a set of stairs going downward. Yuki paused before grinning, immediately racing down the steps. _‘So it wants me to pick the hardest choice in order to go down. Makes sense. A Hunter is supposed to be willing to jump into danger and be brave. This will be difficult, but at least I broke the pattern.’_

…

After about five minutes of racing down stairs, she reached another chamber. In this one, a woman, the brown of her cloak already off, was sitting in front of a stone table. She was very muscular and had long red hair.

“Let’s play a guessing game.” She simply stated with a smile.

 _‘Another game?’_ Yuki wondered before sitting down.

“For the conditions of this challenge, I get to choose the parameters.” The woman leaned back in her chair.

“What does that mean?”

“That means that I get to decide what happens to you if you lose.”

She narrowed her eyes at the woman. This could turn out very badly if things did not play out in her favor.

“Let’s make a bet. If you win, what would you like?”

“Huh?” Yuki mumbled. “Just like that?” She looked the woman up and down, trying to find any ques of untruthfulness.

“Just like that.” She confirmed.

“Then… I’d like to pass the Phase.”

“Perfect. You see, I have quite a long sentence in this prison. I’d like to change that. If I win, I have my sentence shortened by fifty years, and you have your time limit shortened by fifty hours.” She swept out her hand in a large gesture. “So then, let’s begin. The way this game will work is that one of us provides a prompt, and the other has to guess the answer. A bit of a cold reading, if you will. For example, I could ask you, how old am I? and you would have to guess. The prompts must be guessable based on appearance alone, so no asking about abstract things such as morals or dreams.”

The woman leaned back in her chair with a smile.

“We each give three prompts, and whoever gets the most right, wins.”

Yuki leaned back in her chair as well, more at ease. Psychological games and cold reading were much more her specialty. Although, the wager was quite heavy, with fifty hours being an intense bet. It wasn’t as if she had any choice though.

“You go first,” the woman instructed. Yuki started examining the woman closely, taking in every detail she could, from the small scar on her upper lip, to the remnants of piercings on her ears.

Yuki deliberated on what she would ask. It had to be something discernable, yet not obvious. Something that would be extremely hard to pick up on. She remembered that she had the wrapper of a breakfast bar from the day before in her shorts pocket. “What did I have for breakfast?”

The woman laughed. “I’m sure you’re a smart girl, so you understand the rules. Therefore, you know that what you had for breakfast had to be clear. You’re trying to dissuade me with the wrapper in your pocket which you entered with. However, your pupils are more dilated than the average human. Noting that you came from the airship which you spent the night on, you were provided a breakfast meal from their kitchen. Taking the Hunter Exam is quite a nerve wracking event, and you would be unsure of the events. Therefore you wouldn’t have a heavy meal. Instead, I’ll say that you had a nice, warm cup of coffee.”

“Amazing,” Yuki smiled while clapping softly. Although she seemed cheerful on the outside, internally she was reeling. _‘So she won’t be as easy to beat as the other opponents. I need to tread lightly.’_

“Now its my question.” The woman grinned softly. “What color is my hair?”

Yuki hesitated, staring at the woman in curiosity. It was a very simple prompt.

“I don’t mean any trickery here. I’m talking about the hair I currently have, so don’t worry about my natural hair color or any other ideas.”

“…Red,” she blinked. The woman started clapping with a smile.

“Correct. That’s one point for you. Now it’s your turn to ask a question.”

Yuki’s leg started bouncing slowly in slight nervousness. “What month was I born in?”

Red’s smile didn’t leave her face. “You have quite the assortment of pins there on your chest. One of them in particular is quite fascinating. A pink poppy flower with a green gemstone in the middle. Is that peridot I see?” Yuki’s smile became tighter as the woman kept talking. “Why if I wasn’t mistaken, that would be the flower and gemstone for the month of August, your birth-month.”

“Indeed,” Yuki confirmed.

“Oh, how wonderful. Now It’s time for my question. What color are my eyes?” She beamed.

“What are you playing at?” Yuki tilted her head provocatively.

“Why I’m just asking a question. That isn’t so evil, is it?” Red’s grin became a little too large, her eyes glinting in the overhead lighting.

“…Brown,” Yuki mumbled tensely.

“Correct. There’s another point. Your turn.”

_‘If she gets this one right, then I would have to get the next one right to tie. I’m not sure what would happen after that, but it seems like the only way out.’_

“What was my eye color when I was born?”

Red paused, humming. Suddenly, she put her hand over her face, and began to chuckle. “Nice try. You want me to examine you, see your hair texture, your facial structure, try and see what the most probable color it would be. But the answer is the same for everyone on this planet. Your eyes were blue.”

Yuki sighed in defeat. “Correct.” She clasped her hands together. “Tell me, what will happen if we tie?”

Red gave a toothy grin. “Oh, we won’t. My turn. What did I get imprisoned for?”

The girl tilted her head slightly in thought. The woman was clearly skilled in cold reading, a common trait among scammers and psychics. Anyone willing to bet fifty years of freedom on a past time would be crazy. Besides, if she was good enough to keep getting the upper hand on her, they must be a professional. “Fraud,” she clearly declared.

Red’s smile didn’t leave her face. “Well…” She crossed her arms in front of her face. “Wrong!” She began cackling in glee. “You forgot the rules, didn’t you? It has to be something physical. You can’t tell if I’m scammer based on my appearance. I got imprisoned for beating up a bunch of people to death, which you could’ve told from my muscles and scars. But you were too focused on the fact that I guessed everything about you, each time.” The woman stood up, leaving the girl who was glaring at the floor. She walked to the side of the wall, where the stone slid open and closed behind her as she left, her laughter still echoing off the stone walls.

Yuki sat still for a few moments before slapping her cheeks. “No moping. Move forward.” She stood up, dusted herself off, and walked toward the metal door which slid open to reveal a set of stairs. 

“ **This path will lead you to a waiting room. Coincidentally, another group has just been penalized fifty hours as well. You will stay with them during this time.** ” Lippo’s voice sounded extremely annoying to the defeated girl. She sighed woefully before jogging down the steps once more. “ **Once the time is up, you will face the consequence of your choice to Trust.** ”

“Consequence? Didn’t I already pay that?”

“ **I don’t think I’m quite satisfied yet. Your punishment is that you will join the group you’re waiting with. Whether or not you pass will only be determined by their outcome.** ”

“How is that an exam if I can’t pass independently?” She called out, yet received no answer.

 _‘This leaves me with ten hours to finish the exam. Let’s hope that whoever I’m paired with is competent enough.’_ She grimaced slightly. _‘Here goes nothing.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter was inspired by both the podcast, The Adventure Zone as well as Leorio’s match. I kinda wanted to expand on that whole gambling thing, yet add a little twist. I cannot tell you how many pages of drafts I went through to make this possible. School is starting soon, so my updates will be a lot farther apart. I really hope you liked this chapter! PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! I love reading and responding!


	6. Chapter 6

Yuki looked around the small room that would be her temporary home for the next two days. It was comfortable for maybe three people at most to live in, but she had no clue how six would make do. There was one three person couch, and two smaller ones. In the middle was an L-shaped table with a kettle on top. A large bookcase was propped against the wall, and a TV sat in the corner. Most importantly, a fridge stocked with food and drinks stood next to the door.

“ **Your timer will start once the other applicants arrive. Now, to determine which applicant your fate will be tied to, please choose a number between one and five**.”

Yuki paused before realizing there really was no right answer. “Three.”

“ **Very well. Your fate will be tied to applicant #404. If he does not pass, neither do you. You are allowed to assist in any way you deem fit.** ”

 _‘404? Wait, wasn’t Gon’s number in the 400s? I can’t remember his exact digits though…’_ She walked over to the bookshelf, running her hand over the titles. They seemed to touch a wide variety of genres, from fictional tales to scientific essays. The timer on her wrist seemed to count down mockingly as the door remained closed.

As if her prayers were being answered, a loud click echoed through the room as the metal door unlocked and began pushing to the side.

“Gon?” Lo and behold, as the doors slid open she caught sight of the green-haired boy.

“Yuki?” His face broke into a wide grin as he ran inside to greet her. “What are you doing here?” She looked at the other applicants, realizing Killua was there as well as the blonde, suit man, and soda guy. 

“Both of you were on the same path?” she gawked before pouting slightly. “Unfair.”

Gon began suddenly talking so fast that she could barely keep up.

“We had to win a bunch of matches against prisoners and Tonpa-san gave up so then I had to go and hold a candle but it was burning out super quickly so then I blew his out first and then Kurapika fought a blue guy who said he was part of the Spider but he didn’t kill him and it turns out he was faking being unconscious to kill time so then Leorio bet with this girl that he wasn’t unconscious and won and then blue guy gave up so we had two wins and then Leorio lost fifty hours in the bet and Killua ripped out the heart of a serial killer so we won but we still have to pay the penalty!”

“Breathe, Gon,” Yuki gave a breathy laugh while patting his shoulder. ‘ _The Spider? I doubt it_.’ She tucked that knowledge away in the back of her mind. “Well, I’m in a similar situation, actually.” She turned and faced the group, giving a small bow. “I lost a bet as well, and have to pay a penalty of fifty hours-“ she noticed suit man’s shoulders seemed to drop slightly “-however there is an added twist.” After examining each of their tags, she realized it was blondie who she would be tied to. “Mr. uh-“ _it would be kinda rude to call him blondie_ “- **404**. My path has led my fate to be tied to yours.”

The males eyes narrowed slightly. “And what does that entail?”

“Whether or not I pass this Phase is completely dependent on whether or not you pass. In other words, if you fail, I fail. The reverse is not true.” She bowed once more. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I promise to do everything in my power to assist you once we’re back in the Tower.” He seemed to lose his tense expression before sighing.

“No need to apologize. My name is Kurapika, I don’t believe we’ve met.” He smiled as he took of his bag, placing it on the floor. Yuki berated herself slightly for not introducing herself first.

“Yuki. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Leorio,” suit man spoke up.

“Tonpa,” soda guy simply stated.

Yuki nodded at their responses before turning to Killua. “Did you seriously rip a guy’s heart out?”

…

After learning of Killua’s cat-claws, the three youngest began exploring the room. Gon and Killua immediately took to the TV, trying to find any games, while Yuki spent a little more time on the bookshelf. One title immediately caught her eye.

The girl delicately pulled the hardcover book off of the shelf, eyes running over the golden title _Sleeping Beauty_. She carefully touched the cover before lifting it to the first page, as her mind was flooded with an old memory.

...

_A small young girl, around the age of two gazed at the mountain of pillows in front of her, dark gray, almost black eyes gleaming with determination. An oversized shirt blanketed her barefooted figure, a piece of long, skinny wood in her hand. The wood had cloth wrapped on the bottom as to not splinter its holder as she wielded the great sword._

_Blowing her short black hair out of her eyes, she began scaling the pillows as best as her small body could, sliding down a few times before recovering and continuing. Finally she reached the top and peeked her head over to see the princess himself, lying on an old mattress with his eyes closed and his hands neatly folded on his stomach._

_Smiling at her triumph, she pulled the rest of her body over the pillows, still holding the sword in one hand. Sliding down the rest of the wall, her bottom met the floor with a quiet thump. Giggling, the toddler raced over to the princess, crawling onto the mattress next to his head._

_The beautiful princess’s eyes were squeezed shut, his black hair fanning out on the mattress. The heroine herself knew that behind the closed eyelids were beautiful ocean orbs, and only she could make them see daylight again._

_The savior closed her eyes, took in a deep breath of air, puffing out her cheeks and puckering her lips before smacking a peck onto the princess’s forehead. Waiting, the heroine did not hear any rustling. Opening her eyes and releasing the air from her cheeks, she stared at the princess. No movement greeted her, and she began frowning. She reached out a hand and began poking Haru-nii’s cheek. Yuki’s eyes began tearing up and her lips trembled as her older brother didn’t wake up._

_Just before she began sobbing, Haruto’s enchanting blue eyes opened along with a mischievous smile. He immediately reached up and pulled her down into a hug, smashing her face into his chest. “Oh thank goodness! I’ve been saved from my slumber! Thank you, kind prince.” Noticing the wetness on his shirt, he pulled her back to look at her face, expression shifting immediately into a worried panic. “What’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself? I knew I shouldn’t have let you or Yuka use that ‘sword’. Where does it hurt? Please don’t cry. Everything’s going to be-_

“ _Sleeping Beauty_?”

Yuki startled, and almost dropped the book as her head whipped around to Kurapika, who was peering over her shoulder. The teenager seemed to notice how much he shocked her, giving a small apologetic smile. The girl paused, gathering her bearings before turning back to the book.

“Yeah. I used to have a copy when I was younger.” She moved slightly out of the way of the bookcase, thinking she was maybe blocking it for the blonde.

“Do you enjoy reading?” he continued.

Realizing it was now a conversation instead of a comment, she nodded. “Always have.”

“I do as well.” His head turned to the titles. “Any you recommend?”

Panicking slightly, she turned her head and quickly looked over the titles once more before spotting a familiar one. She pointed at it, clarifying, “ _An Examination of the Human Psyche_. It’s a philosophy book that examines the true nature of humans without any societal factor. It’s, uh, interesting.” Sagging her shoulders slightly at the release of pressure, she watched as the teenager took it from the shelves.

“As we’re going to be here for the next two days, these books are going to be extremely helpful. Here,” he reached up and pulled out a thick title. “ _The Human Impact_. It goes into depth about humanity’s effects on the environment throughout time.” She reached out and accepted the book from his hands, mumbling a small phrase of thanks.

He began to turn before pausing, looking at her once more. “I would like to ask you a few questions if you wouldn’t mind, considering the fact that we’ll be working closely for the duration of the Phase.”

Yuki nodded but internally sighed longingly at the two boys still fiddling with the TV. The teenager sat on the couch and Yuki followed, sitting next to him, a cushion in between them.

Kurapika immediately cut to the chase. “So, how did you acquire your fifty hour penalty?” His voice didn’t seem harsh, but was oddly neutral. Yuki paused to gather her thoughts before beginning to explain what happened hours beforehand. As she was talking, she noticed the quietness of the room as the others listened to her story. After about ten minutes of explanation, Kurapika nodded and closed his eyes in thought.

“I see. Well at least your betting was sophisticated. Ours was done for an embarrassingly idiotic reason.”

“Hey!” Leorio exclaimed. “I tried my best! It was rock-paper-scissors anyways!”

Yuki winced slightly at the loud volume, deciding not to respond to the raging Leorio. She suddenly remembered the detail in Gon’s ranting.

“Gon said you fought a Spider…” she immediately noticed Kurapika’s muscles tense up as his eyes flicked over to her. “They were lying, you know,” her voice quieted. “No Spider would end up somewhere like here.” Yuki could’ve sworn the blonde’s gray eyes had a slight reddish tint to them.

“What do you know of the Spider?” Kurapika’s voice was sharp. Yuki glanced up at him in the corner of her eye.

“I’ve only heard stories, but they were quite… infamous where I lived. They would never be captured, let alone allowed to live for their crimes.”

A moment of tense silence seemed to last hours before Kurapika’s eyes turned back to their normal gray color. He turned his head to the book in his hands as he opened the cover.

“I see.”

…

Killua kicked the yellow skateboard into the air, sending it spinning before he caught it under his arm.

“If you hesitate on your first step, you’ll get hurt.” He handed the board off to Gon as Yuki stood behind at a safe distance.

“This is going to go bad,” she deadpanned.

“I know,” Killua smiled innocently.

They watched, Yuki with a wince on her face and Killua with a cat like grin as Gon wobbled dangerously on the board. The boy himself had a concentrated expression as his balance faltered.

“And then-“ Gon suddenly kicked out one of his legs. The action sent the board flying straight into the side of Tonpa’s head before crashing into the wall on the opposite end of the room.

The three of them stood motionless, Gon in a strange position with his arms spread out, as if he was trying to balance on the non-existent board.

“Hey!” Leorio yelled, “What are you guys doing?”

Gon straightened up and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“Don’t use a skateboard in such a small space,” he firmly instructed. Gon pouted with a noise of protest.

…

For the past ten minutes, Yuki had been trying to teach the boys of a frog’s anatomy, but quickly realized their short attention span.

“Okay, how about I teach you how to make an ofuda instead,” she sighed before taking out the materials in her backpack. The two instantly perked up as they all sat around the center table. “Have either of you worked with calligraphy brushes or ink before?” Gon shook his head while Killua nodded. “Gon, take off your jacket then, or else you’re going to stain it with ink.”

She taught Gon how to hold the brush and how to dip it into the ink, while Killua seemed to know exactly what to do. Although, instead of writing, he began drawing a crude picture of Leorio from across the room with over exaggerated features. Gon, looking over at Killua’s drawing, decided to do the same, only he seemed to actually be trying to make it look realistic.

Yuki hummed at the challenge before taking out her own materials and drawing as well. It took about five minutes before the suit-wearing teen felt the stares of the three kids. He turned to them and they all quickly shot their heads down back to the table. He looked over and saw what they were doing.

“Oi, oi, is that me?” he caught sight of Gon’s first. Gon sheepishly laughed in response. Then he noticed Killua’s. “Hey! I do not look like that!” He snatched up the paper and held it next to his face, revealing the ink painting of a stick figure old man.

Yuki couldn’t help but snort at the drawing, quickly covering her mouth as Gon and Killua boisterously laughed on either side of her.

…

Yuki had some hesitance before falling asleep in a room of five males, so she placed herself at the end of the couch next to Gon, a purple pillow under her head and a brown blanket wrapped around her. Her long light blue hair was out of her ponytail and draped along her back. After a long day, it didn’t take much for her eyes to slip closed.

…

Yuki was jolted away with her brain telling her something was coming. She lifted her hands just in time to catch the pillow that was shot in her direction. Blearily opening her eyes, she registered Killua standing on the couch with his arm outstretched, and Gon clutching a pillow in his own hands as well. She sighed and sat up.

“You know, it’s really immature to-“ as fast and as hard as she could, she launched the pillow back at Killua who caught it with a thump. The three of them grinned at each other as Yuki took her own pillow as ammo. They all gave grunts of effort as they launched the pillows at each other, trying to knock each other over.

Somehow Gon threw the pillow so hard that his momentum tipped him over, crashing him into Killua and accidentally knocking Yuki’s legs out from under her. They all fell into a heap, Gon now wrestling with Killua.

Leorio’s voice shouted over their ruckus, “Keep it down!” causing them all to laugh. “Let me sleep,” he grumbled, eyebrows furrowed. He turned over only to be met with Tonpa’s disgusting foot in his face, causing him to rear back with a grimace. “It stinks!”

Yuki’s cheeks hurt with her laughter as she sat back on the couch. Killua’s chest was draped over her lap, with his head propped up on his hand next to Gon. Still feeling a light giddiness, she gave him a shove so he rolled off of her lap and onto the floor. Gon and her laughed as Killua tried to pout before laughing as well.

…

Yuki held the metal of the fishing rod in her hands as Killua examined the end of the string where a bright red lure glinted in the light.

“Fishing is more than just baiting the hook and throwing it into the water?” Killua echoed Gon’s words.

“Do you mean like positioning or seasonal catches?” Yuki tilted her head.

“Nothing like that. You have to think like a fish,” Gon seriously stated, positioning his arms as if he were grasping an invisible fishing rod. Yuki and Killua looked at him skeptically. “Think about how a fish feels when it sees bait dangling in front of it.”

“…Baited?” Yuki mumbled in slight confusion.

“Here,” Gon smiled, holding his hands out to them as they passed him back the rod. He expertly caught the swinging line and grabbed hold of the lure, holding it in front of his face steadily. He leaned the top of the rod back before swinging forward in a smooth motion, letting go of the lure and sending it flying into Tonpa’s cup. Yuki began clapping softly with an exclamation of awe.

“That’s impressive. Let me try!” Killua smiled.

Mimicking Gon’s previous actions, Killua went through the same swinging motion, only this time his lure landed on the couch near Leorio’s feet.

Gon laughed sympathetically, “You missed.”

“Wait and see,” Killua grinned before yanking back the rod, sending the lure back to him only to get caught on the bottom of Leorio’s pants. Immediately realizing where this was going, Yuki turned around so she was facing the wall.

“I don’t need that image in my brain,” she rubbed her temples.

She heard Leorio struggle at the opposite side of the room. “Oi, what are you doing? You’re going to tear my pants. Stop!”

Next to her she saw the lure back in Killua’s hand. “See? I got one!”

Deeming it safe, Yuki turned back around, hand covering her eyes for precaution. She carefully peeked between her fingers, and seeing Leorio still had his pants on, uncovered her eyes.

“What did you say? Am I a fish to you?” he yelled.

Killua pouted and put on a perfect pair of kitten eyes. “Don’t get so mad,” he responded. “Not like I’m grilling and eating you.”

“That’s not funny! I can’t even take a nap…”

Killua immediately dropped the expression, turning to Gon and Yuki and grinning mischievously at them.

…

For the rest of the time, Yuki either found herself playing games with the boys, exercising, or reading books next to Kurapika, who had made his own little corner of books next to his chair. Whenever she did that, she would quietly read, finish, and take a book that Kurapika had left for her in recommendation. They occasionally had quiet discussions about what they read, like a tiny book club.

Yuki found herself enjoying his company, finding solace in the only calm person who she’s interacted with for the past few days. He never raised his voice, and his comments were always well thought-out. Although, she couldn’t help but still want to be rowdy with Gon and Killua, throwing pillows at each other, doodling random things with ink, skateboarding badly, and fishing for random targets around the room.

For the past forty hours, Yuki found herself not thinking much about the exam, the shrine, her plans, or even thoughts about what her siblings were doing. All she could think about was

_‘I feel bad for laughing but Killua makes everything funny’_

_‘Gon is so sweet for writing to his aunt’_

_‘I wonder if they’d like Aimi-san’s cookies’_

_‘They’re such dorks’_

_‘I hope I’m not being weird’_

_‘Do they like hanging out with me’_

_‘I really like spending time with them’_

_‘I wonder if they’d like Yuk-_ ‘

At her last thought, she paused, falling quiet from their conversation as Killua attempted to draw a picture of a house on a mountain.

_‘What am I doing?’_

She took a moment before quietly placing her paintbrush down, looking to see that she was halfway through an ink drawing of the shrine. Gon next to her was painting a cozy house on a hill next to the ocean. She frowned and reached out, crumpling her paper. _‘This isn’t right. That’s not my home._ ’ Killua looked over at her curiously. While they had all done dumb drawings and often made ink splatters by accident, they had never crumpled up anything.

He watched as she began putting away her supplies. She stood up and looked conflicted, a small frown and furrowed eyebrows adorning her face.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned, only curiosity lacing his tone.

“Nothing,” she quickly responded as she looked down at the sitting boy. “I think I’m done drawing…” she glanced over at the books. “I should be reading and learning more… uh, excuse me.” A small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes was the last thing Killua saw before she walked over to the bookcase.

Gon hummed as he looked up. “Are we not drawing anymore?” he obliviously questioned, turning to Killua.

_‘Somethings up with her…’_

“Hey, Yuki, can I have the rest of your chocolate?” he called out.

“Sure,” the girl nodded absentmindedly, sitting down with a thick book about navigation.

Killua looked at her crumpled drawing that she left on the table, unfurling it to reveal a half-finished drawing of what looked like a traditional-style building.

 _‘She’s probably upset about whatever this is.’_ Giving her one last glance, he turned to Gon, who seemed to have caught onto something as he stared at her intently.

“Gon, let’s watch TV.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Does the title make sense now? Anyways, PLEASE COMMENT! Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Yuki’s shoes made a soft tapping noise on the floor as she bounced her leg nervously, eyeing the clock as it counted down the last tense minutes. Gon was giving a large stretch next to her and Killua was absentmindedly flicking off some paint from his skateboard. She could practically feel the jittery energy of the room as everyone prepared themselves to go back to into the Tower.

“Yes, I’m ready!” Gon cheered himself on.

“One minute left,” Kurapika narrated. By now, everyone had lined up in front of the large metal door, staring at it with anticipation.

“This is the longest minute of my life,” Leorio mumbled.

‘ _Remember, Kurapika needs to pass in order for you to pass. He’s capable by himself but step in to give him advantage,_ ’ Yuki prepped herself.

Finally, a buzzer noise emitted from the door as a small red light turned green. The metal slab that was holding the door in place slid open to let the door mechanically go back into the wall.

Without hesitation, Gon rushed out the door, too excited to hear the call for him to wait from Leorio.

…

Tricks, puzzles, obstacles, and mazes seemed to be the only paths that the group managed to choose as they weaved through the Tower. From roller coasters to light-up tiled floors, Yuki gave some mental credit to the designers of the building for making such a death trap. Their most recent escapade had them running away from a giant boulder, barely managing to turn the corner for it to crash into the wall.

Yuki was not out of breath, but her muscles felt slightly stiff due to her lack of stretching this morning. She had assumed the rest of the obstacles would have been similar to hers, with mental puzzles to think through rather than physical feats. She patted the dust off of her sweater and made a meager attempt to wipe some of the soot from her face using her sleeve.

Silently, she glanced at her watch/timer. “We only have an hour left,” she announced, nerves clear in her voice. “We need to keep moving.” She waited for Kurapika to catch his breath before they all continued down.

…

**DOOR, O-OPEN, X-CLOSE**

Yuki was easily starting to get annoyed by the constant decision making that had to be done for simple tasks. It was eating up time and doing nothing for her anxiety. Here was just another example where the group had to waste precious seconds to stop and press a button on their watch. She crossed her arms and started pacing slightly as she waited for them to continue.

“They want us to decide whether or not to open this door?” Leorio was clearly in the same sense of annoyance as she was. “It’s the only way. Why wouldn’t we want to open it?”

 _‘Obviously,’_ she stopped herself from saying. _‘Calm down, Yuki, you get short-tempered when your nervous, and for some reason right now you’re getting more nervous than usual. We don’t want to snap at anyone unreasonably,’_ she talked to herself.

**O 4 X 1**

“I’ve had enough of you,” Leorio snapped after seeing the results, grabbing Tonpa by his shirt.

“Wait, I pressed O,” he defended. Yuki felt her patience waning.

“Don’t lie to me! This is exactly like something you would do!”

“Enough!” she finally snapped. Killua glanced over at her with intrigue but took a slight step away from her. “Your wasting time!” she glared at the two of them, temper overriding any sense of embarrassment she felt at being the center of attention. “Tonpa pressed O, Gon accidentally pressed X. This isn’t something to focus on, so _get your priorities straight_ and move on!”

Freezing with a slightly dumbfounded look, Leorio put down Tonpa with a slight grumble. “Fine. You’re right.”

“Wait.” Yuki internally screamed at Tonpa. “Don’t you owe me an apology? What you did was unacceptable.”

“It’s your own fault.” Leorio side-eyed him. “You’ve been acting suspiciously, causing me to lose trust in you. I don’t owe you anything.”

Tonpa met him with his own glare and raised eyebrow. “Watch your mouth. I’m not the one holding us back.”

“What?” Leorio turned to face him, his face quickly becoming more angered.

“It’s like the girl said, you’re just wasting time. Whose fault do you think it was that we had to stay put for 50 hours? Let me remind you that it was you who made a huge mistake.”

Yuki placed her hands over her face, rubbing her eyes exasperatedly. “ _When_ did I say that it was _just_ Leorio wasting time? Both of you need to knock if off.” She began walking towards the door, following Killua who had already moved there a while ago.

Kurapika, quickly realizing the growing anger in the room placed a hand on Leorio’s arm. “Leorio-“

“Shut up, Kurapika!” Leorio placed his briefcase on the floor, raising both of his fists in a fighting position. Tonpa readily replied with his own stance.

“Stop it, you two!” Gon jumped in, standing in between them as a peacemaker. “It was all my fault. I pressed the wrong button.”

“This is lame,” Killua narrowed his eyes. “I’m getting out of here.” He pushed open the door and walked through. Yuki followed after him after looking at Kurapika to make sure he knew she was moving on. Gon called out for them to wait.

As the two walked into the room, they noticed that it looked different from the previous ones. Killua popped his head back into the room with the two idiots.

“Gon, we’re almost there.” Killua’s voice was significantly more energetic than before. The others in the room stopped what they were doing to turn and face him.

“Really?” Gon exclaimed, soon leading everyone else into the room. Yuki stood staring at the protruding statue of a woman in between two doors. The woman’s torso was sticking out the wall with large rods coming out of her arms as if she had been staked. The two doors were identical except one had a red **X** and the other had a red **O.** The statue’s arms draped over the top of the door frames.

Feeling her anxiety slightly level off now that they were progressing, Yuki returned to the back of the group, allowing the others to take over again. _‘Even though I was right in what I was saying I shouldn’t have snapped like that. I’ll apologize once we’re out of here.’_

“This is your final decision point. Are you ready? Choose either O or X.” Killua read the plaque in a droning voice.

“Are we ready?” Leorio echoed. “Of course we are!”

**O 4 X 1**

“It’s you again-“

“Forget it!” Kurapika yelled at Leorio, finally getting fed up himself of the arguing. “We don’t have time for that.” He glanced over at Yuki who had her arms crossed and a small scowl on her face.

_‘I take it back, I’m not apologizing.’_

**“Please choose your path. You have two choices. One is long and difficult to pass, but allows five people to go through. The other one is easier and shorter, but only allows three people to go through. The spare will be an exception to these numbers.** ” Yuki narrowed her eyes at the speaker. “ **By the way, the difficult path will take you at least 45 hours, no matter how fast you go. While the easier and shorter path will only take you three minutes.** ” Yuki glanced around her, seeing the somber faces as they listened tensely. “ **Press O for the difficult path, or press X for the easier and shorter path. If you press X, any two of you would have to be handcuffed to the wall. Only then will the door open. If the spare’s guide is handcuffed, they will be unable to follow on the path without their guide. The two people that are handcuffed will stay here until the time is up.** ”

A silence passed over the applicants before Killua spoke. “That’s really thoughtful of them. They’ve prepared all kinds of weapons for us.” Yuki herself took a look across the walls. They were well furnished with blades of every kind.

“Five or three. It seems they want us to fight it out.” Kurapika closed his eyes thoughtfully.

Yuki took a step closer to Killua and Gon, making eye contact with Killua for a moment before glancing at Kurapika and Gon. The message was clear.

“Let me be clear,” Leorio stated. “I’m going to press X and I don’t plan on staying behind. I will do anything it takes to be one of the three who gets to go.”

 _‘It doesn’t matter what your plan is, your best isn’t enough to stop me from passing this exam,’_ Yuki’s hands hovered over her waist where her daggers were sheathed, fingers tensing slowly. She saw Kurapika glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

“You have some nerve,” Tonpa butted in. “If it wasn’t for the 50-hour penalty, we could have chosen the difficult path. Strictly speaking, you should be the one to stay behind.”

“What?!”

“Isn’t that what everyone is thinking? Did I say something wrong?”

“As much as it would intrigue me to talk about ethics and moral duty, I don’t think we have the time to decide much longer,” Yuki interrupted.

“Wait a minute,” Gon stood firmly. “I’m going to press O. We’ve made it all the way here, I want us to get through this together.”

“Gon,” Yuki stopped him. “You know that’s not an option.” Her voice turned gentle but firm. She knew what she had to do.

“I don’t care how difficult it will be,” he defended, “I’m going all in.”

“Oi,” Killua reprimanded. “You can forget about going all in. We have less than an hour left.” He glanced at Yuki and she nodded. They both turned to Gon with somber looks on their faces.

“Gon, if you really want to win this-” she began rationally.

“-there’s only one choice,” he finished. Gon’s face turned troubled.

“They’re right,” Leorio glanced over.

“Next, we have to decide which three of us get to leave.” Killua’s face turned softer as he glanced between the two other kids. “If possible, I want us three to be those three people.” Despite his kind tone, Yuki knew the real meaning behind his words. _‘Us three **will** be those people.’_

The six applicants stood in a circle, all glancing at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move.

 _‘Killua will protect Gon. I need to protect Kurapika.’_ She looked to see Kurapika’s face slightly saddened yet determined. _‘Good, at least he’s being reasonable.’_

Yuki watched as Tonpa stepped back towards the wall, quickly grabbing the handle to an ax and swinging it down in an arch towards Leorio who narrowly dodged. Within that second, Yuki had her knives in her hands, her feet planted firmly in a position to guard the blonde. The teenager himself pulled out what looked to be wooden nun-chucks.

“Tonpa, you despicable lowlife!” Leorio bellowed. Tonpa yanked the ax out of where it had been lodged in the now broken tile.

“There’s no such thing as being despicable in a war!” he retorted, turning to face Leorio with the ax in hand before lunging once more. Leorio quickly armed himself with another weapon, and the two positioned themselves to start swinging.

“Stop it, you two!” Kurapika yelled, hands hovering over his weapon.

“We should all go together!” Gon frantically tried to persuade, clearly upset by the predicament.

“Sorry Gon, but sometimes there’s something you just have to do, whether you want to or not,” Yuki quickly glanced over at him. “You need to pass this exam, don’t you?” she rhetorically asked before turning her attention back to the two. 

“But-“

“We still have a decision to make before we fight!” Leorio interrupted as he and Tonpa broke out into a fight, both clashing their blades with each other.

“It’s useless now!” Tonpa yelled, swinging his ax so far it got embedded in the wall next to him.

“I’ll have to bring this whole thing to an end!”

“Likewise.”

Not doubting that the two could go on for a while, she turned to the white-haired boy next to her. “Killua.”

“I know. It looks like a fight is inevitable.” His eyes were slightly narrowed, becoming more intense along with his frown. He raised his hand and turned his fingernails into blades, the veins under his skin popping with the action. Kurapika, realizing the escalating danger turned his attention to the boy.

“He’s not going to do anything to you,” Yuki quickly responded to Kurapika’s flinch back, her focus now on getting Kurapika to turn his attention back to the actual fight happening. “Kurapika, we are passing this exam,” her eyes intensified, the blue becoming slightly green at the edges as she made eye contact with the blonde.

“No matter what I have to do.”

…

Yuki stepped out of the opening after Kurapika, Killua and Gon quickly following, a blank look on her face .

“ **Twentieth place, Number 404, Kurapika! Twenty-first place, Number 13, Yuki! Twenty-second place, Number 99, Killua! Twenty-third place, Number 405, Gon! They took 71 hours and 59 minutes.** ”

“Not my best performance, but I’ll take it,” Yuki raised her eyebrow with a shrug, rubbing her hands that looked red and irritated.

“Yeah well my ass hurts,” Killua whined. “Who would’ve thought the easier and shorter path was just a slide.” Yuki walked over to talk to him as Gon began talking with Kurapika.

“Hey, even though we all got out, I just wanna say thanks,” she quietly spoke.

“For what?”

“For having my back when I needed it. I was mentally prepared to do some… harsh things to get out and it helped a lot just knowing that you were there to help and support.” She gave a small smile and placed her hands folded in front of her. “You’re a good friend, Killua.” She stared as the white-haired boy looked at her with an odd expression before turning into one of slight embarrassment. His cheeks had the faintest dusting of pink as he rubbed the back of his head.

“It’s cool. And yeah you were getting pretty riled up. Didn’t really expect that kind of energy from you. You seemed more bothered than usual.” He placed his hands in his pockets before looking at her with a curious tilt of his head. “Is it something to do with that pict-“

“ **Twenty-fourth place, Number 403, Leorio! Twenty-fifth place, Number 16, Tonpa!** ” Yuki looked to see the two shoving each other through the narrow hall, elbows in each other’s faces. “ **They took 71 hours and 59 minutes.** ”

“There are blisters all over my hands, but at least, we made it to the end,” Leorio grinned widely, rubbing Gon’s head playfully. “It’s all thanks to Gon.”

“I was so focused on the fight I didn’t even look at what it caused,” Yuki rubbed her neck. “You really are observant, huh Gon?” The boy grinned back with a peace sign. “Choosing the long path and cutting into the short one. It was a great idea.”

“It was because I saw the weapons were strong enough to break the wall. It still took us about 50 minutes though,” he gave a close-eyed smile.

Right on time, a buzzer went off in the large circular room with the remaining applicants.

“ **Here are the results for the Third Phase. Twenty-six contestants passed and one died.** ”

‘ _Wait how can someone pass and die-‘_

One of the stone doors slid up, allowing sunlight to stream into the room and distract Yuki’s thoughts. She almost felt blinded at how bright it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Long time no see my dudes. I got super motivated to write at 10:30 PM and by motivated I mean anxious for all tests next week :). Kinda projected my nerves at little on this chapter. A lot of the stuff Yuki experienced is stuff I go through with my anxiety, especially the sense of urgency and short-temper. By the way there was a LOT of foreshadowing in this chapter... like a lot. I know it might seem that Yuki was acting OOC, but this was actually some of the realest moments she’s had throughout the story so far, showing her fear for not accomplishing what she thinks she needs to do *hint* and letting down those she cares about. I wanted to reveal some of her philosophy and how she places certain things as more important than others. Emphasis on how even though yes, she is friendly with the other characters, she at this point would not hesitate to leave them behind if she had to choose between them and her family. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this smaller chapter! PLEASE COMMENT I’VE MISSED YOU GUYS!


	8. Chapter 8

Yuki blinked a few times to adjust her sight to the sun, tightening her ponytail as a breeze passed through. The ocean in front of the tower had a beautiful view with a small island off in the distance. Giving a few more pats on her clothes to try and get some dust off, she turned her attention to the now identified previously disembodied voice. The man was lean and tall, wearing simple grey and black clothes that clashed with his wild purple mohawk as he gave brief congratulations to the contestants.

She began to tune in when he began talking about the exam. “Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder to point at the island in the distance. “The Fourth Phase will take place over there on Zevil Island. Let us proceed.”

Suddenly snapping into the air, his pleasant smile was wiped off as an extremely tall bald man dressed in yellow rolled in a small box on a dolly. His smile returned. “I will need you to draw lots.”

‘ _Lots?’_ Similar echoes of confusion rang out.

“To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted,” his smile turned slightly sinister. _‘Lots to be hunted? Are we going to have to draw names? It’s not reasonable to think that we all know each other’s names. Maybe pictures of us? Did they take any during the exam?’_

“In here are twenty-four numbered cards. In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards.”

‘ _Numbers? Numbers that identify...’_ The girl suddenly gave a small gasp of realization, her hand shooting up to her **#13** tag which she quickly unpinned and shoved into her pocket before anyone noticed. Then she quickly began looking at every face and their number tag, trying to memorize as many as possible. _‘ **#118** monkey, **#80** sniper, **#191** old man, **#294** ninja, **#89** long black hair brown tunic, **#301** pins, **#103** turban, **#362** plain face yellow shirt…’_

“Now I need you each to draw a card, in the order by which you exited the tower,” Lippo instructed. Everyone watched as the psycho clown walked up to the box. Yuki noticed a deep bleeding gash on his shoulder. _‘Who the hell managed to injure him?’_ He reached in, pulling out a red card. Pins was next, followed by ninja and so on.

The three youngest contestants looked on at the slow march of people to the box. “Hey, you guys?” Gon turned to them.

Yuki didn’t register his call, still trying to frantically jam together numbers and faces into her brain. Killua answered with a, “Huh?’.

“He said something about hunting and being hunted. Does that mean we’ll be fighting each other?” Gon tilted his head calmly.

Yuki suddenly snapped to their conversations and with a jolt reached for their number tags.

“Hey-what’re you-!” Yuki shushed him harshly, unpinning his **#99** first and then taking a more compliant Gon’s **#405**. She shoved them in her pockets as well before heading up to the box after Kurapika had drawn his, ignoring Killua’s indignant noise. She reached in and pulled out a card, turning it to see it was blank. Walking back over to the boys she passed by Killua was going to get his own card. He gave her a suspicious look but kept walking.

“Yuki, why’d you take our tags?” Gon asked when she got closer.

She calmly walked next to him and quietly replied, “Keep your voice down and look at everyone’s tags. Try to remember who has what number.” He hummed in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing before he saw Killua start to return with a card, leaving to get his.

“Wanna explain what that was?” he grumbled.

Yuki looked at him with a serious expression, “Just trust me for a few seconds, okay? I have a hunch about something.” He seemed a little off-put by her reply but gave an exaggerated groan of annoyance.

“Everyone’s taken a card?” Lippo called. “Then, remove the seal from your card.” Yuki immediately pulled back the sticker, seeing the number **34** before shoving that card into her pocket as well. “The card indicates your target.”

With a gasp everyone started realizing, putting their hands over their tags. Killua and Gon whipped their heads to Yuki who nodded at them. She couldn’t stop the internal swell of satisfaction and slight ego boost of being correct.

_‘ **#34** was the guy with the spiky black hair. He looked about twenties age.’_

“This box has recorded which card each of you drew. This means that you’re free to dispose of the cards if you wish. The objective is to steal your target’s ID tag.”

“Oh, so we don’t need to kill each other,” **#198** blue brother sighed in relief.

“Naturally, you’re free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags. Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse,” Lippo corrected.

 **#197** red brother smirked, “That sounds like the fastest way.”

“S-So that’s what this is about?” **#198** stuttered out.

“Fool, there’s nothing to be scared of,” **#199** yellow brother teased.

“Listen carefully!” Lippo interjected. “Your target’s ID is worth three point. Your own ID tag is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point. You need six points to advance to the Final Phase. So while on Zevil Island, you must gather enough ID tags to total six points. That is the condition for clearing the Hunter Exam’s Fourth Phase.”

…

Yuki tuned out the poor woman who was trying to treat the boat full of candidates like luxury cruise passengers. Killua and Gon had a similar idea as they all left the front of the boat to a secluded part on the side. They slid down so they were sitting, their backs against the wooden boards. Yuki sat in the middle of the boys with her backpack in her lap, with Killua propping up his skateboard and Gon his fishing rod.

First, she reached into her pocket and, after looking around, passed them back their number tags. Killua snatched it from her hands with a huff before pinning it back onto his shirt, just as Gon did the same.

“H-Huh? What’re you doing?” she hissed at him, reaching over to cover it up. Killua swatted at her hand.

“I don’t care if someone sees it. It’s not like they’re strong enough to actually take it from me. It’ll be funny to watch,” he caught her hands as they wrestled with each other, with Killua trying to push her off while she tried to get closer.

“Yeah, it’s okay if someone tries to take it, Yuki,” Gon reassured. “But thanks for thinking about us.” With both of them against her, she stopped fighting against Killua, letting go of his hands and slumping back into the wood.

“Killua I get, he doesn’t care about passing, just having fun. But Gon I thought you would be more inclined to up your chances of winning?” she brought her legs to her chest, squishing her backpack as she rested her folded arms on her knees. “You’re clearly putting yourself at a disadvantage by wearing your tag.”

“But how can I call myself a Hunter if I can’t fully experience the phase?” he offered.

Yuki wanted to argue that part of being a Hunter is ingenuity and cleverness, but she gave up once seeing his steadfast expression. “Well you can’t say I didn’t try.”

A few moments of silence passed between the three of them.

“What number did you guys draw?” Killua quietly asked, all of them staring at the wooden boards in front of them.

“How about you?” Gon countered.

“Secret,” he hummed, placing his chin in his palm.

Yuki opened her mouth, ready to say her target’s number when suddenly the two boys laughed at each other. She jumped slightly at the drastic change in mood. _‘O-Oh, he was joking.’_

“Don’t worry,” Killua nudged her with his elbow, seeing her discomfort. “Neither of you are my targets.”

“Same here,” Gon grinned.

“Yeah,” Yuki mumbled.

Killua looked forward before sneaking a look at the two of them, hesitant but playful. “Show our numbers at the same time?” he offered. Yuki nodded along with Gon’s agreement.

“Ready, and-!”

‘ **#199** and **#44** _oh no Gon…’_ Yuki gasped out loud at his card, whipping her head up to see his face. “Gon, how are you not freaking out right now?” she stumbled.

“You have really bad luck…” Killua added, looking at him with something akin to amazement.

“I guess,” he gave a faint smile.

“Who’s **#199**?” Gon asked after reading his card.

“You don’t know, either?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I didn’t bother to memorize everyone’s numbers,” Killua whined, placing his arm behind his head.

“Well, lucky for you, I did,” Yuki interjected, excited to show off her knowledge.

“Huh? Really?!” Killua grinned at her. Yuki gave a happy smile, nodding with his excitement. “So who is it?”

“ **#199** is the yellow brother out of that trio. The big one,” she proudly stated.

“And whose yours?”

“ **#34** is the plain looking young guy with the short spiky black hair.”

“Wow, who knew your paranoia would come in handy,” Killua smirked.

Yuki’s smile turned into an indignant expression. “It’s called caution and preparation skater boy, maybe you should learn-“

Yuki and Killua suddenly turned to Gon who had gone silent with a quivering smile. He had a bead of sweat rolling down his face and was clearly trembling, but his eyes burned with anticipation.

“Gon…” Killua called.

“You okay bud?” Yuki placed her hand on his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? What?”

Killua grinned at him. “Are you happy?”

“You look scared,” Yuki disagreed.

Gon took a second before mumbling, “I’m kinda both… I guess. In a straight-up fight, I wouldn’t stand a chance,” Yuki nodded, “but if I only need to steal his ID tag, then I have a real shot.”

 _‘I mean… debatable’_ Yuki kept quiet.

“Right now, that scares me a little. But I think it’s worth it…”

“I see,” Killua closed his eyes in understanding, satisfied with the answer. “Well, let’s do out best.” He picked up his skateboard, nodding at the two of them before walking off. He stopped a few steps away before looking back. “Make sure you stay alive, Gon. Oh, and you too chocolate supply.”

Yuki gave a sarcastic forced laugh with an overly pleasant smile, “You better watch your mouth before that chocolate starts disappearing.” Killua stuck his tongue out at her and pulled down the skin under his eye before walking off.

Once he had walked off, Yuki turned to Gon, her expression softened. “Gon, I have some extra knives and weapons I can give you, do you want any?”

“Oh, I’m good. Back on Whale Island I used to spend a lot of nights in the forest next to my house. I know how to sleep in the wild and find food and water,” he gave a big grin.

“Woah, there was a forest next to your house?” she widened her eyes.

“Yeah! It’s super big and has a bunch of animals in it. I used to be kinda not careful around them and almost got eaten when I was a kid,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Had to get some sense knocked in me but after that I figured out how to get along with all the animals. They’re super cool!”

Yuki found herself trying to imagine such a place. Sure she had passed by a forest on a train and she could see the forested mountain from the shrine, but she never had actually been surrounded by the nature. “All that green sounds really pretty…” she wistfully mumbled.

“You should come and visit one day! I’m sure Aunt Mito would love to meet you!” he excitedly turned his whole body to her.

“Huh? Visit?” she blinked, slightly astounded by his overwhelming kindness. “O-Oh. I mean, maybe after I…I have to do some stuff… after the exam, and that kinda takes priority, but after-yeah after!”

_‘Why don’t I tell them about Haruto and Yuka? I didn’t in the beginning because they were strangers but I trust them now. Maybe after the exam before we part ways. Yeah, then they can be another set of eyes for me wherever they go.’_

“Okay!” Gon easily agreed. “After.”

…

The boat docked at Zevil Island soon enough as all the applicants gathered at the front of the ship. The enthusiastic host gave her welcoming before instructing, “Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase. After each person disembarks, we’ll wait two minutes before the next person’s turn!”

“That means we’ll be waiting here a while,” Killua commented.

“You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here. All right then, the first person may start!”

Just like the lot draw, one by one the applicants disappeared into the forest.

She turned to the two of them, about to give them advice or snacks before stopping herself. _‘They’re both extremely capable, Yuki, maybe even stronger than you in some aspects. You don’t have to treat them like you treat Yuka. Stop babying them.’_ Her mind drifted as they waited to her little sister.

…

_“Yuka?” A five year old girl with short raven black hair peaked her head into a small room. The room had three old mattresses on them and a small battery-powered lamp on the floor in the corner. The mattress in the middle had a small lump under the thick wool blanket on top of it. The lump moved slightly at the girl’s call._

_“Yuka?” the girl whispered louder, giving a hesitant glance to the end of the short hall where the only other bedroom was. Quiet mumbles of a conversation came from the room, too faint and indiscernible no matter how much the girl tried to strain her ears. “Ka-chan, please come out. Mommy’s waiting for us,” she pulled out the girl’s favorite nickname. This time, a small puffy face popped out of the blanket, eyes red rimmed and button noise pink. Her dark gray, almost black eyes were shining in the low lamplight. The girl was giving short breaths as she choked back tears, shaking her head back and forth._

_The girl in the doorway ran into the room, standing at the edge of the mattress with worried hands hovering over the crying girl. “Yuka! Are you okay?” she whisper-yelled._

_In response, the girl only cried harder, hiccuping on her tears. It didn’t take a clearer invitation for the worried child to climb under the blankets with the teary one, pulling the cloth over both their heads as if to shield them from the world. They cuddled close and the girl buried her wet face into the other’s chest._

_“What’s wrong?” she softly patted her head. “Mommy and Haru-nii are waiting for us so we can hear a bedtime story…” she tried to persuade._

_“I don’t wanna go to sleep!” the crying child suddenly called out, her tears increasing tenfold._

_“Why not? Sleep replenishes your brain and is just as important as food or water. A person spends 1/3 of their life asleep, that’s how important it is,” she listed off facts. The crying girl calmed down slightly at the familiar ranting._

_“I don’t care, I don’t wanna sleep,” she shook her head and buried it further into the girl’s chest._

_“But why?” the girl implored._

_“Because…”_

_She continued petting her hair to try and make her talk over her sniffles._

_“Mommy’s been getting worse and worse, and…” The other girl didn’t stop her soft strokes. “… and sometimes in the morning, when I wake her up, I’m scared that-“ she began choking on her tears again. “-I’m scared that she won’t open her eyes!”_

_The other girl began getting choked up herself, her eyes glistening with the scary thought. But with a determination to be strong, she subtly wiped her eyes. “But if you don’t go to sleep, then Mommy will worry and then she won’t go to sleep. Then she will get even more sick,” she tried to counter. The girl only began crying more at the fact, causing the other to try and hold her closer. “Sleep will make her feel better, but she won’t sleep until we do...”_

_“Here, I’ll tell you a bedtime story! And we can sleep together. Haru-nii might get mad cause he doesn’t want us doing it anymore, but that’s okay.” She pulled the wool blanket tighter around them. “In a far away land long ago lived a King and his fair Queen. Many years had they longed for a child and finally their wish was granted. A daughter was born. They called her Aurora…”_

...

Despite her thoughts, she nonchalantly passed Killua a pack of chocolates, to which he gave a hearty thanks and immediately began eating it.

…

“Bye,” she gave a small wave to the two boys before stepping off of the boat and walking into the forest, body on high-alert. _‘I have enough water and food to last about four days, so that’s not a priority right now. I should start scouting the island though to see the terrain.’_

She climbed up a tree and began jumping carefully from branch to branch, all the while keeping her eyes peeled.

_‘After all, to him I’m the hunter, but to someone else, I’m prey.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Long time no write my dudes! This year was insanely busy and even with quarantine teachers have no sense of how long their assignments take. I got this random burst of energy to write and it’s passed midnight now sooooo… Anyways, I really hope you guys liked this chapter, so PLEASE leave a comment to tell me literally anything! Till next time!


	9. Chapter 9

“Thick canopy, small nooks and crannies to hide things, nearby freshwater stream… This should do.”

Yuki gave a cat-like stretch with her arms over her head, her nose scrunching up as she extended her limbs. She sat down at the base of a massive tree and started rummaging through her backpack, mentally making a list of her supplies and what needed replenishing.

‘ _I need to make a strategy to get his tag while simultaneously ensuring my own safety… some way I can concentrate on hunting someone else while still being able to be completely aware of my own surroundings.’_ She hummed, looking up into the thick canopy that barely let in streams of light.

Giving out a sigh, she thumped her head on the bark of the tree behind her, closing her eyes for a brief moment of silence. When she opened them, she noticed a leaf gently falling above her, slowing making its descent until it landed on her forehead. Reaching up, she plucked the leaf off of her face and held it in front of her eyes, twirling it between her fingers.

“I’m not really good at noticing my surroundings, am I?” she mumbled, recalling a moment in the airship. “Those two noticed the Chairman instantly, or at least his presence. Even if they got the direction wrong, they felt something was there. I didn’t feel anything…”

She kept rolling the leaf’s stem between her fingers, watching it twirl. “It’s one thing feeling like you’re about to get hit with a pillow in a room where you’re not focused on a particular task. This is a place where I’m going to inevitably distracted or overly concentrated and I currently don’t have enough spatial awareness to multitask like that.” Her face scrunched up as she laid back fully on the bark of the tree, watching more leaves fall down with the small disturbance.

“So… what to do…” She ran options through her head ranging from setting up traps in the hopes that only her target would interact with them, to ignoring the issue altogether and just trying to get the tag.

‘ _So if I’m in a situation where I’m not good at something… and I have a good amount of extra time… I can just… get good?’_ She paused twirling the leaf, staring at the forest in front of her. “Huh… I guess I could try to get better here. I can set a deadline of training… Three days? So whether or not I’ve gotten better I’ll start hunting after three days…But it’s also dangerous training out in the open as well… Traps?”

She pushed herself off the ground and placed her hand on her hip. “Well this isn’t exactly a normal training room and I’m not working with a master… but I think I can manage.” She gave a scan of her surroundings, taking in every little detail from the knots in the trees to the thorny vines wrapped around their branches. ‘ _Step one: ensure that this is a safe place. I’m not interested in trapping people in nets as there are people like that sniper and that archer, both who could take me out from high up. I need traps that will take out someone before they notice so I can dispose of them...’_ She paused, furrowing her brow. ‘ _Wait that sounds dark, I’ll just like… knock them out… peacefully.’_

“Just a nice little nap,” she mumbled, rummaging through her backpack. Reaching to the bottom, she pulled out a little box with a metal clasp. It gave a satisfying click as she popped it open, scanning a variety of small vials filled with clear liquid. ‘ _I already used one on that guy in the Tower, but there’s plenty left. If I control the amount to just enough to knock them out for fifteen minutes or so until I can bind them, I should be able to make a good amount of traps. Perfectly humane…_ ’

Looking again, she noticed a slight problem. “But I don’t have enough needles… only one left. So injecting isn’t an option. Coating? There’s thorns on those vines, that should work.” She carefully climbed one of the trees, using the knots to push herself upwards until she was at the top. Pulling her knife out she carefully cut one end of the vine, allowing it to drop on the ground. It was still caught on the tree next to it, but enough had fallen onto the floor to get a good look.

The leaves crunched underneath her feet as she landed, looking at the thorns. ‘ _They’re definitely big and sharp enough, but only one side of them is pointy. Having them thrown at a target does not necessarily mean they will all stick. Without the perfect trajectory and propelling force, they’re not reliable.’_ She kicked a rock at her feet. ‘ _Sticking them to something? So they’re all facing the same way?_ ’ Leaning down, she picked up the rock. “This should work.”

…

After five hours of work, Yuki felt thoroughly confident she was safe. Tripwires made from medical thread meant for stitches were carefully placed under the leaves covering the floor, and if triggered would set off a flurry of thorny rocks. Thread would release swinging rocks from the trees that would hit the target. The small rocks were covered in thorns, glued on with tree sap and covered in the medical solution. Thorn-less vines allowed them to swing into their target.

For some less complicated traps, scattered pieces of thorn covered pits were hidden under leaves strategically covering small holes. The thorns were glued onto the top of sticks which were stuck into a small hole dug out. It was all covered in leaves to blend in. Sure, it had the potential to stab through a foot, but that’s recoverable.

All of these traps surrounded the central tree Yuki declared as base, carefully drilled into her brain. ‘ _At least my memory is good._ _The traps are all pretty loud if set off as well, and I made sure to arrange the leaves on the ground so the dried ones are in the places people are most likely to step. More aware hunters, knowing that they’ll crunch and alert me, will therefore step on the younger leaves which are covering the traps and tripwires. That way even if the person doesn’t make a noise, they’ll trigger one of the traps and make a commotion anyways._ ’

It was early afternoon if indicated by the sun’s rays piercing harshly directly from above into the canopy. “Now to make up a training regime. How does one train for spatial awareness? I don’t want to train for hearing or sight, as I’m fine in those departments. I just need to… sense better,” she paced slightly as she mumbled.

“Maybe I should meditate on it.” Having absolute faith in her personally crafted traps, she crossed her legs under her and sat down, placing her hands on her knees and straightening her spine. Counting her breath, she carefully lowered her senses, focusing on her internal energy.

…

_“Another one?”_

_A tall teenage girl held out a lantern in front of her, illuminating a small garden hidden under the darkness of the night. The soft light revealed a variety of plants and greens as well as beautiful flora. They were all neatly organized in rows and pots, carefully trimmed and taken care of. The only thing out of place was a small curled up figure next to a pot of hibiscus. The figure’s only distinguishing feature was a head of short light blue hair, with their face being tucked into their knees. They were shaking slightly, their shoulders trembling. The teenager knew it wasn’t because of the biting cold._

_The teenager sighed, her bright orange eyes which burned as bright as the flame showing her exasperation. She set down the lantern and pulled out a hair tie, pulling back her long black hair into a pony tail. She picked up the lantern with one hand and held out the other._

_“I’m tired of waking up in the middle of the night because you keep leaving your bed. We’re fixing this. Now.” When the blue-haired figure didn’t acknowledge the outstretched hand, the teenager briskly walked over, grabbing onto one of their arms and yanking them up. The small child, about age nine, gave a yelp, revealing their pink, tear stained face. The teenager paid no mind, pulling the girl with little kindness through a shoji sliding door and into a traditional-looking building._

_“Look, I understand how you’re feeling. Everyone here does.” The teenager struggled to speak with the same reassuring kindness that came so easily to her younger sister. After all, she was in charge of protecting the shrine, not helping new girls settle in. “We’ve all been through something and we know how hard it is to feel like you’re actually safe here. Even if your body is here, your mind might not be, hence the…” She looked back at the girl she was dragging through the halls, who seemed to be barely awake, tripping over her own feet to the point where the teen was practically carrying her. Most notably, her eyes seemed glassy as if she was still sleeping. Her eyes softened just the slightest. “Nightmares.”_

_“But that’s no excuse to cause a disturbance.” They instantly hardened again. Finally reaching her destination, she pulled a small string hanging next to one of the shoji doors, hearing a bell ringing inside. Letting go of the girl, she held up a hand to her face, a motion for her to stay still. “Stay here. I’ll let you in shortly.” The girl then swiftly slid open the door and stepped inside, speedily closing it behind her._

_Faint conversation was ignored by the blue-haired child who did not move, still giving the occasional small tremble, yet her mind slowly began to de-fog. With a few blinks, her face slacked slightly and she looked around, bringing up a small fist to rub at her eyes. “Why am I in here?” she mumbled, distinctly remembering running into the garden after her latest night terror._

_The shoji door slid open, making her jump slightly. “Ikari-san?” she blinked in recognition._

_“Good, you’re awake,” she raised an eyebrow as she moved aside. “Well, go in.” With the teen’s harsh look, she scrambled into the room. It was obviously a bedroom, with a large, soft futon spread out in one of the corners. However, sitting on a mat in the middle of the room was an old woman wearing a dark blue robe. Her silver hair was gathered into a bun on top of her head, and her light green eyes stared at the young girl. Wordlessly, she pointed at a cushion that was placed a few feet in front of her._

_“O-Oh, sorry,” the girl stuttered out, instantly shifting her gaze to her feet as she shuffled to the cushion, clumsily plopping down onto it. The old woman did not show any displeasure at the meek action if she had felt any, instead reaching over to a nearby table._

_“Tea?” her gravelly voice asked._

_“No thank you, Menta-san.”_

_The old woman either did not hear her denial or decided to ignore it, pouring out a cup of steaming tea. The girl was unaware of how she was able to make a pot of tea in the middle of the night seemingly at a moment’s notice, but she didn’t bring it up._

_“Have some tea,” Menta held out a small cup of steaming tea which the girl recognized as chamomile. “Miss Yuki, right? You came in with the most recent batch of girls.”_

_Yuki held the cup with both of her hands, waiting for it to cool down. “Yes ma’am. Me and two other girls.”_

_“Yes…” the old woman poured herself a cup and gave a slow sip. “They’ve settled quite easily, haven’t they? Miss Reiki even is starting to study under the town healer is she not?”_

_Yuki felt a bitter feeling creeping up but it was accompanied by the rock that was lodged in her throat. Nonetheless she felt slightly attacked at the comment, hardening herself in defense. “Yes, I believe so ma’am”. She felt herself closing up, as which happens every time her inability to do something is shoved in her face._

_“And yet you still feel just as bad as the day you were brought here. At least now you eat our food.” The woman swirled her cup of tea. “You really should drink that.”_

_Yuki scrunched up her face, feeling more and more miserable with every passing jibe. She brought the cup to her lips, taking in a sip of the tea. Even if it had been made with the finest teas in the world, Yuki’s bitter emotions only made it slide tastelessly down her throat. However, even if it tasted like plain water, she could not deny the slight calm that washed over her, making her suddenly aware of her exhaustion._

_“So, we’re presented with a problem where you are not responding to the normal rehabilitation methods we utilize. Every day you grow more and more reserved and less willing to interact with others. Not even our prized Hina could have you warm up to her.” The woman chuckled slightly at the notion. “Believe me, that is an impressive feat.”_

_Yuki set down her cup swiftly, the tea inside sloshing at the harsh action. She began standing._

_“And where do you think you’re going?”_

_The girl felt something snap inside of her as she whipped her head up to meet the woman’s eyes. “Sorry I’m not_ good enough _for your facility Menta-san._ Clearly _this is not what I need as I have told you and the other girls_ many times _already.” Her voice escalated, on the verge of cracking. “This_ stupid _shrine won’t help me feel better and it_ definitely _won’t help me find my family, so I’ll just leave now and give you a free bed.” Stubborn tears began pricking her eyes as she turned to leave, a sense of intense exhaustion making her want to lay down and start sobbing._

 _“_ Stop.” _Yuki felt her whole body freeze at the commanding tone. “Sit down and finish your tea. If you still feel that way by the end of our conversation, I will allow you to leave.” Yuki wanted to storm out just out of spite towards the old woman. Yet, her dumb inability to resist direct orders after it being drilled into her psyche so hard forced her legs to fold under her again as she sat down._

_“Firstly, you are in no manner ‘not good enough’. As much as you try to hide yourself you are a talented, intelligent young girl who could have a bright future ahead of her. Only, these blockades that plague you will forever stop you from progressing past your traumas. That is why you were brought here, Yuki. The Sebu Shrine exists to help struggling girls like you heal from the wounds the world has inflicted upon you.”_

_Yuki curled into herself tighter as she took large gulps of her tea, stubbornly staring at the floor._

_“Just because our normal methods have not worked does not mean we will give up on you. I’m sure you know our motto by now.”_

_“... **No wound left unhealed.”**_

_“Exactly. So, let’s begin with our first problem. You cannot focus or even begin to heal without taking care of your body first, which means a full night’s rest.”_

_Having finished her cup, Yuki set it next to her. “Can’t.”_

_“Just because you are not good at something does not mean it will forever be out of your reach.” She held out hand with the palm facing down, her fingers wrapped around something. Yuki hesitantly placed her hand under and saw as a small pin was dropped onto her palm. It had a flat circle for it’s head with miniscule blue markings on it. “Now, pin that on your shirt.”_

_Yuki stared at it for a second and glanced at the woman again who raised an eyebrow expectantly. The girl frowned before hastily pinning it onto her nightshirt. “And this is supposed to make me sleep?”_

_“Make you sleep? Goodness no. What it will do is allow you to start learning how to meditate.”_

_“Meditate?”_

_“Nightmares are the disorganization of your mind allowing the worst memories to be brought forward and exaggerated. To begin to untangle these trauma threads, you must first learn how to become aware of them. Internal awareness is the first step towards getting rid of these nightmares.”_

_“Then… what’s the pin for?” Yuki raised an eyebrow._

_“Call it training wheels for now,” Menta gave a pointed stare. “It will help block out certain… interferences in the world around you and will protect you when you are in a deep state of mind. You are not to remove it while meditating or even attempting to meditate. Understand?” Her green eyes pierced through Yuki._

_“Y-Yeah.”_

_“If I or any of the girls see you meditating without it, there will be consequences. You will be forbidden from using this method and I will cease teaching you. We will then try a different method to heal you but I promise it will not be as straightforward or enlightening as this one.” The woman straightened her spine and placed her hands on her knees._

_“Now, let’s begin.”_

…

Opening her eyes, Yuki estimated that an hour had passed. Blinking slightly, she raised her hand to her yellow button up shirt where a variety of pins were placed. After a moment’s hesitation, she gently unclasped a circular pin with blue markings, placing it quietly into her bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So begins Yuki’s training! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and a sneak peek into the Sebu Shrine! So, PLEASE COMMENT! Only one person did last time (shout out to CoolLMI) but seriously reading comments is the reason why I publish this thing because I love interacting with you guys so much. Stay safe and see you next time! J


	10. Chapter 10

_‘Three-no…Four?’_ Five. _‘…T-One’_ Two. _‘…Six?’_ Four. _‘Two.’_ Two.

Yuki felt a burst of elation over guessing correctly before she realized it only came after guessing wrong eight times. In a robotic-like fashion she swept the leaves on the floor away from her so she was sitting in a bare circle of dirt. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply and focused. In total silence she waited two minutes, time in which four leaves had fallen from the tree above and onto the dirt around her.

 _‘F-Three…’_ Opening her eyes, she quickly counted to see that once again she was one off. In a fit of frustration she buried her face in her hands and gave a silent scream. Resurfacing, she blanked her features once again, repeating the process all over.

“It’s been four hours of this and it feels like I’m barely getting any better…Am I even sensing them or am I just randomly guessing?” she groaned. Standing up, she began pacing the small patch of dirt. “I’m listening for any rustling, I feel any change in the breeze, and I’m trying to feel any movement when it hits the ground but there’s nothing!”

“Am I just approaching this wrong? Is it even possible?” Realistically she knew that last statement was just rhetorical frustration but nonetheless her ambition of being able to sense her surroundings seemed to be running away from her.

_“It will help block out certain… interferences in the world around you and will protect you when you are in a deep state of mind. You are not to remove it while meditating or even attempting to meditate. Understand?”_

“…Interferences? What interferences? And why while I’m meditating?” Her legs dragged her back to sitting in the patch of dirt. “What do I even do while I meditate?” she mumbled.

Meditating had been a core part of the Sebu Shrine recovery program. Yet somehow it seemed like the shrine practiced two types of meditation. The first one was the type that everyone partook in, a simple relaxation of the mind and a focusing of intent. Every girl did it at least once while at the shrine, and it was common to see girls meditating like so in the gardens or the nearby stream.

Then there was the second type of meditation that while at first looks the same had a different… energy to it. Most notably, only the older shrine girls would appear to do it, the people who had been at the shrine for a minimum of four or five years. Also, they would do it in the training room of all places. Yuki recalls one time trying to sneak into the training room where Ikari already had her eyes locked onto the door in disapproval, as if she knew Yuki was there before she even walked in.

For Yuki, meditation was a sort of internal reset, an opportunity to identify and categorize emotions and other disturbances. Whenever she would feel irrationally overwhelmed or drowned in frustration, grief, or anxiety, meditation would allow her to identify the emotions and their cause. It would also allow her check every part of her body, following her breath from the top of her head to her toes so she could notice any discomfort or stiff muscles otherwise unaware.

But on occasion, in the rare moments of absolute clarity, meditation would feel… enticing; like dipping your hands in cool water on a hot summer day, where treasures are barely visible along the bottomless pool. In those moments Yuki would feel powerful in a dangerous way, that if she so much as dipped a toe into the water she’d get sucked in and drowned by something unknown lurking in the depths. However those moments would only last a few seconds as every time she would conveniently get disturbed by Ikari or Menta pulling her out.

_‘Maybe that feeling allows Ikari to know whenever I get near her while she’s meditating. It almost as if she has a third eye. It’s already sunset anyway, I’ll just meditate through the night and if it doesn’t work then I’ll try something else.’_

Shuffling into a more comfortable position, Yuki untied her hair and let it fall behind her shoulders. Out of habit, she cleared the dirt from any leaves before closing her eyes with a deep breath.

_‘If I’m going that deep, I have to sort through everything.’_

The first emotion to float to the surface was a deep sense of fear. _‘Yes, I’m scared of a lot of things. I’m scared of not passing and therefore not finding them. But I can and I will pass this. I even have some people who could help if-’_

Grief. _‘Gon reminds me so much of Yuka sometimes. They’re both so bright and simple but lovable. Killua and Kurapika even have some similarities to Haruto. Killua has that same care-free fun attitude as him but Kurapika has that cool, contemplative demeanor when it’s important. Not to mention mom-‘_

Anger. _‘I can’t help but feel angry at her sometimes. Why didn’t she tell us more? It always felt like she was hiding things from us. Even in her deathbed it seemed like she wanted to keep us in the dark about her dying-‘_

Shame. _‘She probably had a lot of stress on her shoulders raising three children in a place like that. Sure it was generally safe if you knew the unspoken rules, but mafia were around every corner taking-‘_

Dread. _‘I hate him. Even when I imagine seeing him again I don’t know if I’ll explode in anger or burst out in terrified tears. It still feels like he’s always watching me over my shoulder, waiting for me to get attached to anything so he can take it away-‘_

Guilt. _‘I can’t get close to anyone anymore. I should be closer to Gon and Killua, shouldn’t I? They’ve opened up to me and Gon probably thinks of me as his friend. But I would drop them both in a second if it meant finding you two. That’s so messed up, but I can’t help it. I’m such an awful person. Would I kill-‘_

Desperation. _‘What if you’re dead in a ditch somewhere or spending another year six feet under? Do you have your own lives now? I left you, Yuka right after Haruto started distancing himself. I promise I didn’t want to, and I wish I could’ve said goodbye, but if I didn’t leave then he would’ve-‘_

Understanding. _‘I saved her. Even if she has a new life I’d be so happy that she has found some kind of peace. And it seemed like Haruto was already halfway getting his own life when I left, and he’d be a teenager by now. And even though I don’t feel attachment to Gon or Killua right now, that’s ok. After the exam, I’m sure I’ll meet other people who I’ll be able to spend more time with and grow attached to. I just need time-‘_

Confusion. _‘After I find out what happened to them… then what? I don’t have hobbies, connections, or relationships. I can’t really imagine myself doing anything else but looking for them. What do I even like? Does anyone care about me? Do I care about me? Who am I?’_

Cold.

Yuki felt the barest hint of _something_ within her. A sense of awareness but also something that felt so familiar and foreign at the same time. She felt it clawing at her throat but also hiding in her stomach. It burst at her fingertips but also receded into her chest. It desperately wanted to escape but something told Yuki under no circumstances could she allow it to.

Despite this, she still had her objective. Dipping her consciousness into the feeling of cold power, she drew a drop of it out, straining to contain it in such a small amount while it felt like a tsunami was crashing inside her. Out of pure instinct, Yuki felt the drop smooth out under her skin until it felt like she was covered in a very thin layer of water.

Yuki could feel her blood flowing in her veins, her heart thump over and over, her muscles contract with her straining mind, her lungs expanding and contracting with her deep breaths. It felt almost eerie how she felt everything inside her body so clearly, so distinctly that there was no possibility it was fake.

Gently, she took in a deep breath, feeling the second skin getting closer to her. When she released her breath, the layer moved outwards ever so slightly leaving her skin. Suddenly Yuki could feel every grain of dirt under her so clearly she could count them. She somehow _felt_ two things falling next to her that in her mind she knew were leaf-shaped.

With every inhale and exhale, she pushed the layer out further and further away from her, simultaneously making sure the flood of _whatever it is_ inside her stayed contained and separated from the second skin. By the time the skin was six inches away from her skin, she felt the internal flood dangerously getting drawn to the surface. Instinctively she pulled it back in a panic, yanking herself out of the clarity in the process.

Eyes still closed, she took a moment to breathe. A small thought popped in her head. _‘Two.’_

Carefully peeling her eyes open, she gave a slight sigh of disappointment at the three leaves around her and the dark night sky. However, she couldn’t help but notice that while one of the leaves was a good foot away from her, the other two were within a six inch radius.

In almost reveling whisper, she muttered, “ _It worked._ ”

…

The morning after Yuki felt thoroughly exhausted, as if she had run five times the length of Phase 1 of the exam. Despite doing nothing but sitting and practicing the second skin, her energy levels were almost completely depleted. Realizing that she needed to keep her energy to a level where she could fight if necessary, she reluctantly chose to take a break.

Pulling out some high-energy protein bars and energy drinks, she quickly ate through breakfast, yet she couldn’t stop thinking about her nightly activities.

_‘What even is that stuff? Forget being aware, it makes it feel like a leaf falling next to me is touching my skin! I can count every single one that falls within that radius, even if it’s just eight inches now. Somehow I feel like that’s as far as it can go, but even then I do feel more aware of my surrounding whether I have it out or not. It must be some deep subconscious thing that unlocks a brain connection that just expands your senses. I want to see if I can summon the skin without having to meditate…’_

Briefly she tried reaching in herself once more before she got hit with another wave of exhaustion. _‘Okay maybe after a quick nap… and another protein bar.’_

_Thump._

Shooting to her feet and pulling out a dagger from her boot, Yuki instantly put herself on high alert. The sound had come from a ways off to her left, but it was loud and solid, like something heavy dropping to the floor. Carefully creeping, she climbed one of the trees and inched across the branches to avoid the traps and crunchy leaves.

It didn’t take her long to see the cause of the commotion. A male applicant laid prone on the forest floor, unmoving. Yuki suspiciously waited and watched before she noticed the ends of a few sticks poking out of his shoe. Realizing that he must’ve stepped on a trap and knocked unconscious, Yuki felt a sense of overwhelming satisfaction and pride.

 _‘They worked!’_ She internally squealed, hopping off of the tree carelessly and onto the floor. She rolled over the body, seeing it was one of the other applicants, **#89** long black hair and brown tunic. Quickly searching his bag and pockets, she became even more elated when she found not only his tag, but another tag, number **#236** along with a target card indicating the same number.

“You must’ve gotten your target’s tag and then let your guard down, huh,” she smugly gloated, tossing the tags into the air and catching them. Realizing she had a time limit until he awoke, she dragged his body to a few clearings away, poking him within another stick when he began stirring. She tied his unconscious body to a tree facing away from the clearing and out in the open. “And that’s how it’s done,” she spoke to an invisible audience, turning around to walk back to the clearing, ignoring the fact that she slightly tripped over a rock in the process.

…

Feeling her energy returned, Yuki reassessed her plans. _‘Do I even need to specifically go hunting for my target? I already have two tags. I could just go for the next person I see and take their tag, then I’d be set! It’d save a lot of time and the uncertainty of his location… I don’t even know if it’s safe in this location anymore. If another applicant finds him and releases him, there’s a good possibility of him making his way back here.’_

Deciding it was time to move, she packed up her belongings and started heading in the opposite direction of the tied up applicant, careful not to leave any footprints behind her. After picking up a few rocks and putting them in her bag, she took to the trees.

…

Yuki settled on a cluster of trees that had an extremely thick canopy, so green that she couldn’t see the forest floor looking down from its branches.

 _‘I’m out of stuff to make traps, so I’ll have to settle on the branches for cover and protection.’_ A thick, sturdy branch passed her careful inspection as she sat down and dangled her feet over the edge. There was a small sliver of space in between the leaves where she could see the forest floor, yet it was positioned in a way that if someone where to look up, they would not be able to see her.

Settling in, she picked a “Y” shaped branch about the size of her forearm and plucked off all the leaves. Taking her hair tie, she used a knife to cut it so it was just a strip of elastic. Tying the ends to the two ends of the wood, she fashioned a sling shot.

_‘The next applicant who walks through here I’ll shoot a rock at their head. Then I can take their tag and focus the rest of the phase on hiding.’_

And so, she waited.

…

She waited through midday.

…

Through sunset.

…

Through sunrise.

…

_‘It’s been two days since the start of the phase. If no one comes here by the end of today, I’m moving.’_

…

_‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’_

With her luck, she shouldn’t be surprised that the first voices she hears after a day of waiting is none other than Leorio and Tonpa. They were far away enough that she couldn’t exactly hear clearly what they were saying, but close enough where she could recognize their voices. At the moment it didn’t seem like they were moving any closer to her, but just in case she got her slingshot ready.

_‘Leorio or Tonpa… both pissed me off in Trick Tower with their inability to listen but Tonpa was clearly the one pushing it. Leorio seemed to be reacting to the things Tonpa would purposefully try to anger him with. Plus, Leorio is like an open book when it comes to his intentions and his strength. Since Tonpa is a little more conniving (and aggravating) I’ll take him out.’_

Pointing the sling shot through the opening, she waited in silence. A few moments passed of Leorio and Tonpa discussing something. Then, a moment of silence until Yuki heard what sounded like something crashing through leaves. Whipping her head up, she realized the canopy was too thick to see past a few trees, so something must have just dropped from above a ways away.

An unfamiliar voice began speaking along with some animalistic chirps. Leorio began yelling loud enough that Yuki could understand him.

“Tonpa! You two were working together?”

_‘So it’s Tonpa and someone else against Leorio. This complicates things. I don’t know who this new person is, they could be dangerous. Although, they wouldn’t be too strong since they teamed up with someone to take a tag. Tonpa especially of all people. Either way, I still have my cover. If I have a shot against the new guy I’ll take it. It’s better to use the element of surprise on him rather than Tonpa. Leorio and I could easily take him down if-‘_

“Damn you!” Leorio yelled. “I’ll make you pay!”

Quickly Yuki realized that they were all moving, and, more importantly, someone was moving through the trees towards her as Leorio’s voice got further away. Pulling out the slingshot she took aim at the rustling leaves.

 _‘Three, two, one, now!’_ At the small peak of a head pushing through the leaves, Yuki shot a small rock at the forehead of the applicant. Hard.

With a disgruntled yell, the applicant flailed through the leaves enough that Yuki saw it was the guy with the pet monkey. He slipped off the branch and fell to the forest floor in a heap, unconscious.

“Wait, where’s the-AH!” With a girlish shriek Yuki flung her backpack against a tree once she felt something flying toward her back. The pack slammed small orange monkey into the thick bark, the animal giving a nasty yelp. Yuki had been so startled that the force of the impact knocked out the small animal as well. She watched, heart racing with adrenaline as the pack and the monkey peeled off the tree slowly and fell to the floor.

Calming herself down, she jumped from the branches onto the floor. Quickly making sure both were knocked out, she slowed her heart rate. _‘Hey at least I kind of sensed the monkey before it had touched me, that’s progress!’_

Searching the guy’s pockets she found the tag for **#118** as well as Leorio’s **#403**. “Yes!” she quietly yelled, pumping her fist into the air. Hearing footsteps approach rapidly, she quickly climbed back up the tree to hide herself in the canopy, barely able to keep the triumphant smile off her face.

“-so I’ll take the monkey while he’s jumping past and- huh?”

 _‘Kurapika!’_ Yuki’s eyes widened at the familiar voice. Looking down she saw Leorio and the blondie himself standing over the unconscious bodies. Quickly they both drew out their weapons, standing back to back and scanning the trees.

_‘Oh whoops. They must think someone is waiting to attack them… Well I got all my tags. Now all I need is to keep myself safe. It is safer in larger groups. Maybe we can team up? Either way I don’t think they’ll attack me but I shouldn’t just drop down on them. Plus I need to give Leorio’s tag back.’_

“Leorio, Kurapika!” She called from the canopy. Both of their heads shot up, squinting to try and see through the leaves.

“Yuki?” Kurapika recognized her voice.

“Yeah! I’m coming down so uh… don’t attack me please?” She waited a moment as they both quickly put away their weapons.

Deeming it safe, she jumped down from the canopy, landing on her feet a little precariously as she stumbled forward.

“Did you do this?” Kurapika raised an eyebrow.

“Mm-hm,” she hummed in agreement. “Oh, here you go,” she held out Leorio’s tag to him.

“Sweet!” he exclaimed. “Thanks, kiddo,” he ruffled her hair, making her freeze up slightly before relaxing.

“Yup,” she coughed awkwardly at the exchange. “I heard you and Tonpa. I was waiting for Tonpa to pass under here so I could knock him out but this guy came bursting through the leaves instead.”

“Speaking of him…”

…

After tying up the man and his pet monkey and leaving him a clearing with a beat up Tonpa, the three walked a little ways into the forest.

“Okay! I got my tag back thanks to Yuki,” Leorio slipped the tag into a pocket in his suitcase.

“And we have the tag for **#16** ,” Kurapika added.

“So, Kurapika, Tonpa was your target? You saved me back there.”

“You needn’t thank me. I didn’t want Tonpa to notice me, so I stayed hidden while you were jumped from behind,” he rummaged through his bag calmly as Leorio’s expression turned into one of confused irritation.

“Well, that was because I figured there’d be no point in teaming up with you if you couldn’t withstand that attack. I suppose that you barely qualified.”

“Oh, that’s smart,” Yuki mumbled.

“Hey, don’t agree with him!” Leorio complained.

“Yuki, who is your target?” Kurapika turned his attention to her.

“Here,” she pulled out her card. “My original plan was to go after him but I managed to get two other tags instead. And with monkey guy’s tag I have enough to pass. Now it’s just a matter of keeping them close.”

“Hmm…” Kurapika looked at her for a moment. “You clearly showed yourself capable with that attack. Would you like to team up with us?”

“Hey, don’t I get a say in this?” Leorio interjected.

“Would you rather she not?”

“Well, no, but-“

“Yuki?” Kurapika cut him off.

“Sounds good,” she nodded minutely.

Giving a sigh of exasperation, Leorio ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t deny that it’s easier to work as a team. Let’s stick together for the remaining four days.”

Yuki and Kurapika nodded in agreement.

“You both got the tags you needed to add up to six points. I’m the only one with three still.” They began walking further into the forest, with Kurapika and Leorio walking side by side with Yuki slightly behind them.

“We need to find your target next then, **#246** , Ponzu,” Kurapika instructed.

“ **#246**? Mushroom hat girl?” Yuki muttered. Leorio nodded.

“Stay alert, in case we’re being followed,” Leorio tensely spoke through pursed lips.

“You shouldn’t be talking,” Kurapika chastised.

“Yeah, yeah.”

…

They began walking till dark, when suddenly Yuki felt something very, very _wrong_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Hello, hello! It was my bday recently and along with AP scores coming out it has been a hectic week. I have been thinking about this story more and more and fleshing out more and more details and I cannot wait till we get to the juicy parts. Thanks for reading, and as always PLEASE COMMENT! No one says anything anymore L. See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11

“All right, so, I finally figured out who my target is,” Leorio mumbled as they walked through the trees, the chirping of crickets filling the background. “But how am I supposed to find her on an island this big? Isn’t wandering around like this a huge waste of energy?”

“No more a waste of energy than constantly whining, I would imagine,” Kurapika finally snarked back. Yuki walked a step behind both of them, quietly watching the forest around them while they traveled, trying to find any movement or passive dangers.

“Well you two’ve already got your points so you have nothing to whine about. But I’m plumb out of luck if I don’t-“

_WRONG WRONG DANGER_

Yuki snapped her head forward as she suddenly felt something very, very _wrong_. Lo and behold, Hisoka stood casually leaning against a tree, a joker card perched between his fingers.

“Hey,” he casually greeted, as if he had been there the whole time.

_‘Shit.’_

“What a coincidence meeting you here,” he slyly smiled. “How fortunate.”

Leorio gave a dry laugh. “Why do I run into people I don’t want to see?”

Meanwhile Yuki’s thoughts were going a mile a minute. _‘Is he going to fight us for our tags? Do we even have a chance of winning that fight? Should I run? I can’t. Would he target me because I’m the youngest? Would he just accept the tag if I gave it to him? I’m going to have to give up a tag without baiting him into a fight. That’s the path with the highest survival rate! But I can’t give up my own or else it’ll be too hard to recover. I’ll figure out losing a single point, but if I have to fight for my own tag…’_ The only image she could see was her arms disintegrating into petals just like that man from the beginning of the exam.

“You see, all I’m lacking is just two more points.” Hisoka pushed himself off of the tree and started approaching them. “I was hoping you might give me yours.” He came to a stop a few feet ahead of them.

_‘Shit shit shit’_

“Give you what?!” Leorio angrily retorted.

_‘Don’t provoke him!’_

“You’re crazy. I’m not going to give—‘

Kurapika quickly stepped in, “Leorio-“

“Would you take one?” Yuki pushed herself between the two males to be in front. Hisoka looked down at her, sending an unnerving chill down her spine. She steeled her nerves to meet his eyes, steadying her voice and putting on the polite persona her mother and the shrine maidens taught her. “Would you take one point?”

“So you’d give me your tag?” his grin widened.

“I have four tags on me right now. The first one is my own. The second tag I have, **#236** was the target of someone else. However I have two single-point tags on me that could possibly be your target,” she tilted her head down slightly so her bangs barely covered her eyes. “All we’re willing to give you is one of the tags worth a single point.”

Hisoka stared at her, his eyes lighting up more and more. “And what about the tags that your friends have?”

“Between Leorio and I, we currently have three badges. Mine, my target’s, and Leorio’s. Of the three, only one could possibly be your specific target; mine. Leorio’s number is **#403**. He was targeted by number **#16** , Tonpa. And he, **#16** , was assigned to me as my target. Each of us was given a different target, so **#16** and **#403** are out.”

“Indeed,” Hisoka took a step forward, leading to the Kurapika taking a step back. Yuki held her ground, still looking at Hisoka with a blank face. The only trace of her fear showed in her slightly trembling hands or the tiny quiver of her brows. “Of the three tags, none are the target I was searching for. What of it?”

“That just leaves the other four tags. If you’re willing to take Yuki’s offer of one point and leave, you are more than welcome to.” Kurapika’s voice became tenser. “But I share her sentiments in which I will not allow you to take my own. And the same goes for the other three.”

Kurapika slung off his bag and tossed it to the ground. Leorio and Yuki followed in suit with their own bags.

“If you insist on taking them by force,” Kurapika crossed his wooden swords, “prepare to fight me for them.”

Leorio flipped open his switchblade quietly, shifting into a fighting position.

Yuki unsheathed her dagger. _‘Do I attack first? Do I let Kurapika or Leorio lead? Should I throw the knife or risk getting close enough to stab? I need to be ready to dodge his playing cards. Do I go around and wait for an opening?’_

It was a standoff as Hisoka carefully ran his eyes over each of them, a thoughtful look on his face. He slowly began to smile and narrow his eyes.

Yuki nearly flinched as she saw Hisoka raise his hand to cover his face, her heart pounding in her chest. That is, until she heard the chilling laughter of Hisoka. His shoulders shook with the noise of either incoming danger or resigned acceptance. Yuki was beginning to believe it was the former as Hisoka peered through his fingers, making a low purring noise.

Not moving, Hisoka continued to look through his fingers at the three of them. “Out of curiosity, what are your numbers?”

There was a beat of silence as Kurapika and Yuki hesitated.

“ **#404** ”

“… **#13** ”

Hisoka closed his eyes.

Yuki faintly noticed that she couldn’t hear any crickets anymore.

He lowered his hands and relaxed his shoulders. “Very well,” he flipped the Joker card between his fingers before flicking his wrist, making it disappear. “You have yourself a deal, girlie. I’ll take one of your single point badges. I’ll even let you choose which one,” he slyly added.

 _‘Holy shit it worked,’_ Yuki carefully reached back to get her bag, not taking her eyes off of Hisoka. She reached in, pulling out **#118** , making sure Hisoka couldn’t see the number. She broke off her gaze from him as she looked for a place to put it. Her adrenaline began to catch up with her as her heart raced faster, suddenly realizing it might be a trap for them to lower their guard.

Kurapika carefully reached over and gently took the tag from her hand, placing it in a hole in a tree next to him that Yuki hadn’t noticed. “I’ll leave it here.”

Hisoka looked amused at her hiccup in fake confidence. “Don’t look so concerned,” he reassured, crossing his arms. “I’ll stay right here until you’re out of sight.”

Ever so carefully the three began slowly walking into the surrounding trees, not taking their eyes off of the magician. Hisoka watched their weary retreat until they disappeared into the brush.

He began chuckling once more in pure amusement and growing delight. “In a few short days, they’ve both grown beyond recognition. And she tried looking at me just like he does when he has that beautiful expression in a fight. How precious. But they’ve still got a lot to learn. I wonder… why must unripe fruit be so… tantalizing.” Walking over to the tree, he pulled out the tag, flipping it over to see the **#118**. “Such a pity. Not the badge I was hoping for.”

…

Yuki’s knees buckled under her as the three of them fell to the ground panting from adrenaline once they were far, far away from Hisoka to where they could hear the crickets’ chirping.

“He took it, he actually took it,” Yuki mumbled in a mantra over and over to herself. “I thought he’d just kill me but he took it.”

Leorio had his hand over his heart as Kurapika wiped the sweat from his brow.

“No kidding,” Leorio wheezed, “I thought we were done for. You didn’t see it, Yuki. I’ve seen that guy kill ten people with one move. There’s no way we could’ve won.”

“I panicked at the end, I’m sorry,” she suddenly apologized, snapping her gaze to the two of them. “I-I didn’t mean to, I tried to act confident I swear-”

“You did amazing, Yuki,” Kurapika smiled in reassurance. “You thought quickly and held your ground. Hisoka likes people who he thinks have potential to grow stronger. By doing that you proved yourself to him.” He stood up and brushed himself off, walking over to sit next to her. “It’s alright you were scared, so was I-“

“And me,” Leorio chimed from the dirt floor, causing Kurapika who rolled his eyes at the interruption.

“Yes, we all were. But _we_ owe _you_ an apology Yuki, not the other way around. You gave up one of your tags, so now you’re only at five points.”

Yuki frowned slightly. Her thoughts began to spiral downward into images of failure and utter defeat. A few moments of silence passed before she suddenly raised her hands and quickly slapped her cheeks. She met Kurapika’s eyes with a determined expression, cheeks red from the hit. “It’s okay! I only need to get one random person’s tag, so we can just keep an eye out for other people while we’re looking for Ponzu!”

Kurapika blinked slightly at the sudden shift before relaxing. “Exactly.”

“You still wanna help me?” Leorio suddenly sat up in disbelief.

“O-Oh,” Yuki’s determined expression began to fade into a familiar shy young girl, her demeanor calming down as the adrenaline worked its way out of her body. “W-Well it would be advantageous to me to cover a lot of ground,” her voice trailed off as she realized her statement might hurt Leorio’s feelings.

“Hey, I’ll take anything!” he grinned, waving off her statement.

Yuki gave a big sigh as the fight or flight instincts left her body completely. ‘ _Jeez I hope Gon gave up on Hisoka’s tag and just found three others.’_

…

Two days had passed without luck. The first night had been slightly awkward, with Yuki sleeping a good few paces above from the other two in the branches of a tall tree. Leorio had tried to similarly climb a tree when he saw how comfortable she was, only to realize his tall height made his head keep hitting the branches above him when he tried to sit.

The food situation was also interesting, considering she had run out of food a day before. She didn’t want to say anything. She had no intention of asking them to slow down for her, especially since she was the only one with the problem. Instead she planned to sneak out in the middle of the night to go back to a blueberry bush back in the trail. However, as Leorio didn’t allow her to climb up the tree the second they settled into a camp, she had nothing to eat as they pulled out food for dinner.

“Aren’t you going to eat something?” Leorio talked with his mouth full of jerky.

“O-Oh, I’m good, thank you.” Yuki awkwardly pat her stomach, looking off to the side with an expression between a grimace and a smile. “I’m, uh, not hungry. I guess.” She suddenly waved her hands in front of her in a placating motion, “Feel free to eat without me, though!”

_Stare~_

Kurapika and Leorio fixed their eyes on her with slightly exasperated expressions.

“You didn’t eat anything for breakfast either,” Kurapika raised an eyebrow.

“And you had like five berries for lunch,” Leorio added with his own expression of disbelief.

Yuki froze, her hands weirdly moving in front of her as she tried to form a statement. “A-Ah, well, you see-“

“Here,” Leorio shot his arm out into her face, shaking the bag of jerky in front of her. “Take some.”

Kurapika smiled a Leorio’s actions before similarly holding out the lid of a thermos, the rest of his soup sloshing inside.

“No no no no I’m perfectly fine, I can get food later-“

“I’m planning to be a doctor you know,” Leorio interrupted. Yuki looked at him curiously, her body deflating slightly at the change in subject. “We’re walking around all day without many breaks. Not to mention you’re a growing kid. You need food just as much as we do.”

Yuki stared at him, blinking slightly before opening her mouth to deny once more.

“Yeah, I’m not taking no for an answer,” Leorio spoke in a funny voice to ease the tension, grabbing her hand and holding it out so he could shake some of the food into them. He reached over and took Kurapika’s thermos lid, placing it in her other hand.

“We’ll all pick up food as we walk tomorrow, we would’ve run out soon anyways,” Kurapika reassured as Yuki began to sputter and look desperately between them. “So eat up now so you have the energy to help out tomorrow while we scavenge.”

She curled slightly into herself, sighing in resignation at the logic. She slowly raised the thermos lid to her lips, taking a small sip and swallowing the warm meal. With her other hand she bit into a piece of jerky, tearing it with her teeth and chewing.

Leorio watched her take a few more bites before going back to what was left of his food. He held out the bag to Kurapika as well, who thanked him before grabbing a piece for himself.

“…What kind of doctor do you want to be?” Yuki quietly mumbled.

The teenager in question lead back into the tree he was resting against. “I’m going to study every field I can, so not a specialist in anything particular. I want to be able to give anyone from anywhere a doctor’s help without the money that comes with it.”

Yuki looked thoughtfully at him, nodding in agreement as she finished eating her jerky. “Doctors are expensive. The one in my town cost two whole liters of water.”

“Water?” Kurapika looked incredulous.

“W-Well,” she stumbled at the attention shift. “He didn’t accept normal methods of payment…”

Leorio only laughed. “What a strange guy.” He quieted. “Everything costs money in the medical field. Applying, learning, getting a degree, getting medicine, everything. People have to either pay or die.” He stared at the ground in front of him. “My best friend died when I was younger just cause we didn’t have enough damn money.”

 _‘He’s just like me…’_ Yuki teared up slightly before looking at the ground as well. “No amount of water could afford my mom’s treatment either.”

She could feel the teenagers’ eyes on her.

“She had a heart condition… the only problem was no one could figure out what it was. My mom only knew it was her heart cause of the pains she’d get every day. My siblings and I studied every book about hearts we could get our hands on. My brother even started dissecting other animals to try and see what theirs looked like in the hopes he’d find some helpful information.” She felt herself get lost in her thoughts, realizing it felt good to actually talk about what happened to someone other than the shrine maidens who were always fixated on her mental health. It was different from Gon and Killua as well. She treated them like Yuka, a friend of the same age who was there to take care of and have fun with, not dump problems. Her older brother was always the one who listened when she was upset or frustrated. He always knew when she was hiding any bad feelings.

She cupped the thermos lid with both hands. “We didn’t have money for city doctors. No one did.” Her fingers turned pale as she gripped it tighter. “Everyone just accepted her death when they realized the symptoms weren’t going away. No one wanted to help a dead woman. And the only person who could’ve possibly helped was never there in the first place,” she muttered.

“It was… really hard on my siblings and I when she died. My sister and I were five and my brother was nine and we were all alone. And then… I lost them, and _I_ was all alone.” She looked up at both of them who were staring at her with dumbstruck expressions. It was the most she had ever spoken at once. “I want to find them, even if it’s just to say sorry and they ask me to leave.”

The two teenagers looked at the twelve-year old in a new light as she stared straight at them with determination, her eyes slightly glossy.

She smiled at Leorio. “I guess my point is… thank you, Leorio. I hope you can help save a lot of people.”

Leorio rubbed the back of his neck at the change in tone. “I’ll do my best.”

Kurapika sighed. “I’m the only survivor of my clan.”

Yuki startled, “You don’t have to-“

“It’s okay, I want to,” he smiled at her before his expression turned grim. “The Kurta were annihilated four years ago by a group of criminals.”

Yuki remembered his questioning back at Trick Tower she raised one of her hands to cover her mouth, feeling sick. “The Phantom Troupe?” she whispered.

“Yes,” Kurapika’s face hardened. She noticed his eyes began to tint a scarlet color. “I’m going to capture them and make them pay for their actions, and find the scarlet eyes of my clan to finally put them at rest.”

Yuki felt her heart ache for Kurapika, imagining not only losing her mother, but every other person in her life. It must’ve been unbearable. She also understood his desire for revenge.

“When I look for my siblings,” she clearly spoke, “I’ll look for your clan’s eyes too. I promise.”

His face softened as he nodded in appreciation. “And I’ll look for your siblings. What are their names?”

“Yuka and Haruto Xolflare,” Yuki eagerly exclaimed. “Yuka’s twelve, so my age, with black hair and dark grey eyes. She has a freckle under her right eye, but otherwise we look exactly the same. Haruto is sixteen right now, he has black hair too and really bright blue eyes.”

She looked and noticed Leorio had a notepad out and was writing down what she was saying. She felt more tears come to her eyes.

“I-If you find them, you can call the shrine’s phone number. Its’…”

…

Four days after the incident with Hisoka and they had still not found Ponzu or even run into applicants, and only one day remained in the Fourth Phase.

“Maybe we should go back to the landing,” Leorio suggested.

“Huh?”

“It’s possible there are a few people who’ve already finished.”

“No, impossible,” Kurapika corrected.

“Huh?” Leorio echoed.

“That’d be way to risky if you had your tags already,” Yuki explained. After spending four days with the two as well as a near-death experience, she felt much more comfortable talking and interjecting her ideas into conversations. It helped that Kurapika seemed to be most of the time on a similar wavelength as she was.

“What do you mean?”

“Even if you get your tags, you could still lose them at any moment, so people would want to avoid areas with a high concentration of applications. What’s probably going to happen is there is going to be a mad rush in the last half hour or so where everyone from all corners of the island are going to be coming here to see if they can get any more tags,” she hypothesized.

“But it’s worth a shot,” Kurapika reassured. “Since there’s one day left there’s bound to be a few in the landing who already have six points. And it’s safe to assume they would then gravitate to the same place. Near the goal.” Kurapika looked to Leorio with a smile. “At least, that’s what I would do.”

Yuki looked back and forth between the two of them. “Or there are people like you Leorio who are desperate and had the same idea as you did. Who knows? Ponzu might be there since out of everywhere else in the island it’s probably the most populated. Therefore it’d be a good place to set up one of her chemical traps. It’s good for me too since I can just take anyone’s tag we see.”

Leorio grunted a bit at the “desperate” remark but shrugged his shoulders. “Okay then, let’s get going.”

…

Yuki became distracted looking out into the sparkly waters from behind the brush they were hiding in. It glittered beautifully in the sun, the soft sound of crashing waves on the sand filling her ears. It was better than any book her brother had ever read to her about the sea. She tried to engrave the sight into her brain.

“-ki? Yuki?”

“Huh?” she came back to reality.

“Something wrong?” Leorio looked down at her, his height even when crouching a good deal taller.

“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong,” she waved her hands in front of her. “It’s just… this is kind of the first time I’ve ever seen the ocean.” She looked back at the water. “The ride to the island was also the first boat I’ve ever been on…” her voice quieted. “I’m just trying to make sure I can remember this really well. Haruto was obsessed with anything water related, the ocean especially…”

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, Leorio and Kurapika looking out with a new appreciation.

“Believe me, the ocean isn’t always this pretty,” Leorio suddenly grumbled, remembering his recent experience on the stormy ship where he met Gon and Kurapika.

Kurapika gave a small chuckle, confusing Yuki slightly at their seemingly shared memory. “Here,” Kurapika held his hand out to Yuki. In his palm was a small fragment of a shell. Yuki gasped in amazement at the iridescent white color of the inside and the dark blue ring-like pattern on the back. She kept turning it over in her hands so it would catch the light in different rainbow patterns, a childlike smile growing more and more on her face.

“It’s a mussel shell,” Kurapika explained. “You can give it to your brother next time you see him.”

Yuki’s head whipped to Kurapika, looking at him with her mouth slightly open in shock. She stared for a few moments before looking back at the shell, a tiny smile on her face. “He’ll love it,” she whispered. A lull fell in the conversation.

“Well I can see the ship,” Leorio broke the quiet sound of waves. Yuki quickly tucked the precious shell into her small empty bento box, the only place it wouldn’t get crushed or shattered if something were to hit her backpack. “But I can’t see anyone else…”

“Same here. At least no one who can be easily spotted,” Kurapika sighed.

“Damn it,” Leorio dejectedly looked down, his face turning troubled. At his expression, doubts began to fill Yuki as well.

“Perhaps we should split up and keep looking. But first, we should choose a time and place for us to reconvene.”

“And it will go way faster with four people.”

“Gon?!” Yuki exclaimed, instantly recognizing the voice before the green-clad boy himself dropped down from the tree branches behind them.

“I guess we all must have had exactly the same idea,” he smiled at them. “I’ve been watching-“

 _‘Something’s wrong. Besides the fact he’s covered in bandages… something’s off._ ’

“-from above and it looks like there are a lot of people around.”

“Really?” Yuki sat up straight.

“From above?” Leorio echoed. “Now why didn’t we think of that?”

Yuki paused herself, realizing she could have easily took to the branches as she had done earlier. Maybe she had gotten too comfortable on the ground with Leorio and Kurapika.

“It wouldn’t have worked,” Kurapika sighed in resignation, allowing Yuki to give herself some reprieve. “Without eyes as sharp as Gon’s we’d have never spotted anyone.”

“You do have freakishly good eye-sight, Gon,” Yuki shrugged at him.

“Gon?” Kurapika suddenly asked.

“Huh?”

“Were you able to get all the badges you need?”

Gon looked to the side, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as his smile dimmed. “Yeah, I guess.”

Yuki’s whole body flinched. “You guess as in you got three tags right?” she quickly prompted, not wanting to believe the alternative.

“Well, not exactly…”

Yuki felt her heart drop into her stomach. Hisoka still had his tag on him when they confronted him, meaning Gon must’ve gotten his tag from the magician while he was at full bloodlust, itching for a fight.

“I’m okay, Yuki,” he held out his arms unconvincingly. “See?” His attempt was thwarted by his bandage covered hands and the patch of gauze on his cheek.

Yuki stood up from her crouch, staring at him hard enough that a bead of sweat formed on Gon’s forehead. “I don’t believe you but I’m going to act like you’re telling the truth,” she relented, her shoulders dropping.

“What? Did Gon have a hard target or something?” Leorio questioned.

“Or something,” Yuki grimaced. “He got the tag, that’s all that matters.” _‘No it’s not but I’m being generous, Gon.’_ “It’s just you and me, Leorio.”

“Yuki, you haven’t gotten your tag either?” Gon raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t really need my target’s tag. I just need a single point. Leorio’s target is **#246** , Ponzu.”

Leorio picked up, “The only thing I really know about her is that she uses chemical weapons. You didn’t happen to see any women when you were up there, did you?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“I see.”

“All right,” Kurapika took over. “There’s four possibilities we can consider. One, she’s safe and still in possession of her badge. Two, she’s alive but no longer has her badge. Three, she’s out of the competition but has held onto her badge. Four, she’s dead, but still has her plate.”

“Could she be both out of the running and still have her badge?” Yuki questioned.

“She might have gotten in some kind of accident. Or it’s possible that she was defeated after hiding her badge somewhere for safe keeping. If that’s the case and she was killed after concealing her badge, her badge may never be found again.”

Leorio’s frown deepened. “The more you talk, the worse this scenario gets.”

“Hey, is there anything else you know about Ponzu? Like does she wear any special perfume or fragrance like Leorio does?” Gon asked.

“Huh?” Leorio and Yuki mumbled.

Kurapika gasped, “That’s right. Gon might be able to track her by her scent.”

“Not every woman wears perfume, you know,” Yuki pouted slightly with her eyes narrowed.

“He’ll track her chemicals,” Kurapika corrected. “She’s well known for using chemicals, isn’t she? With a variety of chemicals, some are sure to have distinct odors.”

“That’s right!” Yuki gasped. “Gon, there’s a lot of possible scents chemicals can have. Can you just try to find some trail and describe it to me?”

“Yeah! After all, that’s why I’m here.” His face turned into an expression of hopeful determination, causing the other three to look at him curiously.

“But wait,” Kurapika stopped. “If there’s people here in the landing, Yuki, you shouldn’t have to go with us to find Ponzu. You should take the tag of someone here while you can rather than risking coming with us and finding no one.”

“That’s true,” Leorio mumbled. “You shouldn’t come, Yuki. Focus on getting your points right now.”

Yuki looked to the ground in contemplation. It’s true that if she went with Leorio there is a good chance that there will not be any other applicants they will come across based on the results of the past for days of walking around the island, meaning she’d fail the exam. If she stayed here and try to engage with one of the applicants, she has the chance to choose a specific applicant to take on. The choice was obvious if she wanted to pass the phase. It was obvious. ‘ _Right?’_ Briefly her mind ran back to the moments the three of them had over the past few days, sharing food and opening up slightly while walking and talking together during the day. But then images of Yuka and Haruto swarmed into her mind. _‘Right.’_

“Okay, I’ll stay. Once I get a badge, I’ll come back to this spot,” she hardened her expression and nodded at them, noticing that Gon was already sniffing the air. “Once you guys get Ponzu’s tag, come back here. I’ll wait for you as long as I can.”

“Hold on,” Gon stopped her. He climbed up the tree he dropped down from. Yuki waited, puzzled for a few moments. He soon came back down. “I picked up on two scents, both coming from the same direction. The first one burns slightly, it’s definitely a chemical. But there’s a second, different scent there too”

Yuki gasped slightly. “You mean…”

“There’s someone else in the direction of Ponzu. You can come with us and we can all help you get their tag instead!” Gon grinned.

Yuki was taken aback by the new information.

“It is true that the people here at the landing are the stronger applicants, considering they managed to get all their points,” Kurapika commented.

“So whoever is in that direction is probably easy-picking,” Leorio grinned.

Yuki looked at each of them as they talked, slightly dumbfounded. It almost seemed like they wanted her to accompany them.

She ran the scenarios through her mind of the likeliness of her getting a tag. Face a strong opponent by herself, or a potentially weak one with three others by her side? “I-I guess it would be easier if you all were there to help get the tag rather than splitting up.”

“Then, let’s go!” Leorio ruffled her hair as they began following Gon’s lead, back into the forest, a disgruntled Yuki walking right next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I LOVED writing this chapter. I really wanted to develop Kurapika, Leorio, and Yuki’s relationship as it will be very important in later arcs. I tried not to keep it serious but also kind of realistic. If it seems OOC of her to open up like that, the main thing to note is that Gon and Killua to her are people she views like her sister. They are there to have fun, not talk about frustrations and sadness. Yuka is like Gon in a sense where she is very simple and has a sunny disposition for practically anything, not very good for talking about hardships. Her brother was always her emotional support, and since the shrine maidens are all women, Leorio and Kurapika were pretty much the first guys around her brother’s age she’s met since she was five. Especially in an environment like the Hunter Exam, where she’s constantly thinking about them (they’re the reason she’s taking it after all) it takes an emotional strain, especially after the earlier meditation scene. Talking is very therapeutic, especially if you’re talking to someone who reminds you of a safe environment. Anyways, PLEASE COMMENT! Thank you and see you next time!!
> 
> This story is also posted on Quotev! My username is sophboph there as well. (Feel free to skip the disclaimer)  
> Here's the link: https://www.quotev.com/story/11672119/Priorities/2


	12. Chapter 12

Every so often as they were walking Gon would climb up a nearby tree, sniffing the air to lock onto the scent again. His nose led them deeper and deeper back into the island, through grassy fields and flowing waterfalls.

Yuki carefully watched the sun as it passed further and further across the sky.

“Is she in there, Gon?”

The four of them crouched behind a bush looking at the mouth of a dark cave. The sunset behind them made the trees cast long shadows, making it hard to see inside.

“Yep, definitely,” Gon replied to Leorio. “And so is the other scent.”

_‘This isn’t good. I thought the other person would be on the trail, someone I could fight and takedown on our way there. If they’re in the cave with Ponzu though, that opens up so many risks…’_

“What do you want to do?” Kurapika asked.

“I’m going inside,” Leorio set down his briefcase and picked up a stick next to him. “You guys, wait here.”

“Well, hold on,” Yuki put a hand up. “If both scents are in there, then it’s a possibility she’s working with someone. She’d work best with someone who makes up where she lacks, so it might be someone physically strong or a good fighter. You shouldn’t go in there alone.”

Leorio furrowed his brows.

“I’ll go with you. I need to get my badge as well,” she smiled in reassurance. After a moment of hesitation Leorio nodded in acceptance, and they both got up and walked to the stone entrance.

Now that they were close she could see how deep the darkness stretched into the cave.

“It’s quiet…” she whispered. Leorio tapped the wall of the cave with his stick. “This is a trap,” she looked up at Leorio.

“Probably,” he mumbled. He kept patting the walls, eventually throwing in the stick low to the ground, checking for trip wires. “I’ll go tell them we’re going in.”

He turned and walked back to the others while Yuki kept looking into the cave. Every fiber in her being was telling her to turn away. Looking into the dark stretching cave, not knowing if she’d be able to make it out, knowing that there is someone specializing in chemicals and traps… it was painfully familiar and unsettling.

“Thirty minutes.” She turned to hear Kurapika as he held up three fingers. “If we don’t hear anything from you after thirty minutes, we’re coming in.” Yuki walked over to the trio, about to deny Kurapika’s request.

“Not acceptable,” Leorio sternly interrupted. “If that happens, you guys should return to the start.”

“I agree. Your top priority is passing the exam, not helping-“

“I can’t do that.” Leorio and Yuki both widened their eyes at Kurapika’s declaration. “We three teamed up. I won’t abandon you now.”

Leorio looked disgruntled before he turned up his nose and turned away. “Then I quit the team.” Yuki looked back at Gon one more time before turning and following him. “It’s selfish, considering all the help you’ve given me, but I’ll get Ponzu’s tag myself. And Yuki,” he stopped and looked at her. “How about you?” Yuki stood in the middle between Leorio and the two boys, so her head moved back and forth as she talked.

“I think I need to make this very clear right now.” _I’m going to have to hurt Gon’s feelings, but he needs to pass. They both do._ “Getting that tag,” she pointed at the cave, “is the most important thing to me. Passing this exam, is the most important thing to me. And it should be for you two as well.” She stood firmly to look at Gon. “If we’re not back in thirty minutes, and we were unable to call for help, that probably means we were hit by some kind of chemical attack. If you were to go back in, you would fail the exam. This is a burden for Leorio and I alo-“

“No,” Gon stopped her, looking almost angry.

Yuki bristled at the firm denial. “What do you mean no?!” she half-yelled, a disbelieving and disgruntled expression on her face. “This isn’t a ‘no’ type of thing!”

“We’re staying here, no matter what you say,” Gon furrowed his brows as he half-yelled in return, matching her energy. Yuki and Leorio were both taken aback by the sheer finality of Gon’s statement.

“Still got a problem?” Gon dared. Yuki walked up to him and pointed at his chest.

“Y-You’re being an idiot!” she fumbled.

Gon’s eye twitched as his angry frown intensified. “Yeah, I’m an idiot! I’m an idiot so that’s why I’m staying here!”

“Fine! Be an idiot then!”

“I will!”

Yuki stomped back over to the cave, waiting for Leorio. Her arms were crossed as her foot tapped the ground impatiently, steam almost coming out of her ears.

She could hear Leorio sigh in defeat, mumbling, “Do whatever you want.” He tossed Gon his briefcase, startling him out of his childish anger. “Hold onto that for me.” His silent acceptance of their declaration made Yuki frown even more, turning up her nose childishly.

“You all have priority issues,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Come on,” Leorio patted her shoulder. He flicked open a lighter in his hand, barely illuminating the cave and began walking in.

At the sudden realization that she had to walk in, her anger shifted into deep unease. Yuki jogged al little to catch up to Leorio before matching his pace, sticking close to his side. They walked for a while until a light could be seen.

Leorio quickly shut off the lighter, and Yuki took out her dagger. They looked at each other and nodded.

 _‘We have to go for it…_ ’

Leorio flipped open his switchblade as they creeped forward towards the light. By the time they were close enough to see what was inside the small area lit by a lantern, it was too late.

“Bourbon!” Yuki exclaimed in alarm, cold realization washing over her.

“I’m guessing that. I’m one of your targets?” Their heads whipped to the right where a frustrated Ponzu casually sat, leaning against the stone wall. She was a small woman wearing a pink shirt and tan pants, a giant bulbous yellow hat perched on top of her turquoise hair.

“Ponzu!” Leorio brandished his knife.

“Leorio, wait!” Yuki held back his arm.

“There’s no point. We gain nothing by fighting here.” Ponzu looked at Yuki. “I think you know what I’m talking about.”

“It means everything! You’re my target!” 

Yuki began furiously looking around, straining her eyes to look back at the cave entrance.

_‘No, no, no, no, no’_

“Let’s pretend a miracle happens and you two defeat me,” Ponzu sighed. “You still won’t be able to leave this cave.”

“What do you mean?”

And there she could see it, thousands of yellow eyes staring right back at her.

“Leorio…” she mumbled, pointing at the appearance of long snakes draping over the entrance.

Leorio turned pale before cupping over his mouth and running over, yelling, “Gon! Kurapika! Don’t come in! The snakes-”

Startled by his approach, the snakes suddenly lunged with their fangs out.

“AH!” Leorio yelled.

“LEORIO!” Yuki ran over and cut off the heads of snakes attached to Leorio, tackling him to the ground as to not appear as a threat.

But she was too late. Leorio’s body shook with tremors as the venom coursed through him. “Leorio? Leorio!” Yuki panicked, frantically pulling off the heads of the snakes that still had their fangs buried in him.

_‘No! I used all the medicine to make the traps! I’m such an idiot, I could’ve saved him!’_

“Leorio, stay awake!” Her breathing turned rapid as she grabbed his arm, squeezing the bite to try and get the venom out. She was so focused that she didn’t hear the sets of running footsteps coming into the cave until Leorio wheezed out, “You fools…”

Yuki snapped up her teary eyes to the two of them. “Gon! He’s been bitten by snakes, what do I do?” Gon immediately dropped to his knees next to her, looking at the cut off snake heads.

“They’re vipers. They’re not that venomous, but he’s been bitten too many times! Keep trying to get the venom out.” He brought Leorio’s other arm to his mouth, sucking on the bite wounds and turning to spit out the blood. Yuki nodded, continuing to work on his other arm.

“S-Stop it!” Leorio weakly protested. “If you have any cavities or open wounds in your mouth…”

“No problem,” Gon cheerily grinned to show off his teeth.

“Leorio, do you have any serums in here?” Kurpika sat next to Yuki and placed down Leorio’s briefcase.

“If I did, I could have saved you guys…” Leorio weakly muttered before the venom overcame him. Yuki felt the weight of his arm increase as he passed out, pale and sweating.

“Leorio!” she implored.

“We need to stop the bleeding,” Kurapika took over.

“I-I have bandages in my backpack,” she offered, reaching in with her free hand and pulling them out. Kurapika also opened Leorio’s briefcase, taking out some more. Between the two stashes, they were able to fully dress his wounds.

Yuki laid his head on her backpack as a cushion, sitting near him and staring in worry as he weakly breathed. Every stutter in his breath sent her more on edge.

“We need to take him to a doctor,” Gon said. Him and Kurapika leaned down, about to pick up Leorio.

Suddenly she turned to the two of them, the image of Leorio getting overtaken by snakes still fresh in her mind. “No!” She draped her body over Leorio’s chest to stop their efforts. “You can’t!”

“Huh?”

“I would listen to her if I were you.” The two boys looked over, seemingly now only noticing Ponzu. “You cannot leave.”

“What do you mean?” Kurapika asked, his calm, firm voice soothing Yuki slightly. As much as she hates the fact they just ruined their chances of passing the exam, she couldn’t help but secretly be relieved that someone like Kurapika was there to help her and take over.

“When someone tries to exit this cave,” hissing noises became louder and louder, coming from the cave entrance, “snakes attack them.”

Gon and Killua made noises of shock at the sight of hundreds of green slithering bodies emerging into the light. They both stepped back closer to Leorio.

“It’s Bourbon’s trap. He’s the snake charmer,” Yuki input solemnly.

“If bitten by one of his snakes, you’ll end up paralyzed like he is,” Ponzu continued. “And then you’ll die.”

_‘Die?’_

Kurapika turned to the silent, unmoving Bourbon. “Bourbon! You’re looking for tags, right. We’ll give you every tag in our possession, so let us get out of here!”

“It’s no use. He’s already dead.”

Yuki turned to Bourbon, suddenly seeing his wide eyes and open mouth, as well as the odd slump of his figure. His snakes wrapped around his arms and shoulders, flicking their tongues out at them.

“D-Dead? The one who set this trap is dead?” a bead of sweat ran down Kurapika’s face. “How?”

“I killed him.” Ponzu plainly stated. “I won’t tell you how.”

Yuki looked closer at Bourbon, seeing his inflamed, purple hands with giant sores. “Anaphylactic shock. Probably by some insect. Bees? Neurotoxic?” she mumbled to herself. Ponzu’s eyes widened slightly.

“Anaphylactic shock?” Gon echoed.

Kurapika began to explain, “When a bee stings a human, the human produces antibodies to counter the venom. But if that human is stung again by the same kind of bee, they experience an allergic reaction. An extreme allergic reaction is known as anaphylactic shock. Depending on the circumstances, it can be fatal.”

He walked closer to Bourbon and began slowly reaching out. “Still, he might have something on him to help-“ Kurapika flinched back as snakes suddenly fell from the ceiling, landing on Bourbon and hissing threateningly at the blonde.

“You can’t search him,” Ponzu explained. “His snakes attack the moment anyone tries to touch their master or leave the cave. Anyways, you caught me,” she leaned back with her eyes closed.

 _‘They attack when you touch him?’_ She looked at Leorio, remembering Ponzu’s promise of his death. _‘Bourbon probably has an anti-venom serum on him. He has to. If I could just find a way to get it. But how can I evade the snakes? It’s not like I can-‘_ unnoticed by the others, Yuki suddenly looked up in realization, before pursing her lips tensely. _‘I guess now I’m the idiot if I’m actually doing this.’_

“So you used bees to kill him?” Gon summarized.

Ponzu suddenly looked up, her eyebrows furrowed and eyes shining intensely. “Bourbon was my target. After confirming that he’d entered the cave, I sprayed sleeping gas into the entrance, and waited until it was safe to enter. Bourbon was sound asleep, but he’d already set his trap. The sleeping gas didn’t reach most of the snakes that were hiding in the cracks at the back of the cave. Well, I jumped back in time, so I wasn’t bitten by snakes…”

She suddenly grinned, saying, “But that triggered my attack switch.” She raised her hand and tapped her yellow hat. After a second, the heads and the bodies of bees began emerging from the fabric, flying around Ponzu.

“You keep bees in there?!” Kurapika exclaimed. They didn’t see the strange lack of any reaction from Yuki as she stared straight ahead at the stone wall, unblinking.

“If I scream or collapse, they’ll attack any nearby humans. I didn’t expect him to die. How could I have known that he’d already been stung once?” she whined. “And I couldn’t help him because of the snakes. Well, it was beyond my control anyway.” She lifted her finger and twirled it into a figure eight pattern in the air. “You can come back now.” At her command, the bees flew back into her hat, their buzzing now silent. “The problem is that he’s dead, but the viper trap is still active. And we can’t ask him or look for a way to disarm it. We’re trapped with no escape.”

Leorio groaned, his face scrunching in pain. “Leorio…” Gon reached out to him.

_‘Can I actually do this?’_

“I’ve already given up. We just have to wait for the examiners to come and save us.”

“The examiners?” Kurapika was in disbelief. “You’re saying that they’ll rescue us from this cave?”

Regret. _‘If I had warned Leorio sooner instead of just panicking, he wouldn’t have gotten bitten. Why do I always blank at the worst times? If he dies, it’ll be my fault. Everything is my-’_

“You didn’t know? Our ID tags contain a tracking device. The examiners can locate each applicant. If someone hasn’t returned by the deadline, the examiners will look for them. Though this won’t work if you lose your tag or if someone takes it from you. Fortunately there’s only one day left. The best course would be to give up for this year and wait for help.”

Fear. _‘It’s my fault I left Yuka, I know. But he was so scary, I felt like if I didn’t agree he would just kill me and then Yuka. Of course only afterwards I realized he would never kill his precious little experi-‘_

“We cannot do that. Leorio’s condition is worsening. We must take him to a doctor immediately.”

Disgust. _‘He used me. He used all of us. Even those who thought he was their ally, he just used them until they were all dried up. Why didn’t I try to leave? Why didn’t I want to-‘_

“The examiners won’t move until the deadline passes. If you don’t have your tag, you’re basically left for dead. It’s his own fault. The girl and I tried to warn him. All you can do is pray that he holds out until help arrives.”

Forgiveness. _‘No. It wasn’t my fault. I was young and tricked, and there was no exit I could see. I was a victim, and I it’s okay that I’m still recovering. I’ll be okay.’_

Cold.

“Kurapika, Yuki.” Gon interrupted. “Look after Leorio.”

“Gon?”

“I’m sure we’ll find some!”

“Gon…”

Gon stood up and began walking toward Bodoro. Yuki, still staring at the wall suddenly trapped his sleeve when he passed her, not looking. “Wait. Let me help.”

She stood up and began slowly walking toward the corpse.

_‘I can feel it. No, I can see it. Everything. I know what Gon wants to do, but it’ll be suicidal if he can’t find the antidote before he passes out. I need to find it first to minimize his injuries.’_

“Yuki don’t-“ Gon reached out, about to touch her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I just want to make it easier for you.”

She sat on her knees as close to Bourbon as possible. Eyes closed, she carefully began leaning forward until she could feel the front of Bourbon’s body as well as the snakes around him. She felt their tongues flick out and their mouths open to hiss at her. She felt the shift of his turban as the snakes wrapped around his head. She leaned closer.

Gon and Kurapika gasped in alarm as a snake suddenly lunged at Yuki. Without opening her eyes Yuki reached out swiftly, grabbing it by its neck just before it was about to bite her. She pulled out a dagger and stabbed through the head of the snake, killing it.

 _‘Come on, where is it,’_ She leaned forward more and more before she felt a small, jar-like outline in the bottom right of Bourbon’s chest. _‘There!’_

As to not alarm the snakes, she slowly leaned back and stood up, walking back over to Gon.

“Yuki?” he mumbled.

She turned to him, blinking for a moment before grinning. “It’s in his vest, bottom right. Be quick about it, okay?”

Gon paused before grinning back at her. “Yeah!” he nodded in determination. He walked over confidently to Bodoro’s body, ignoring Ponzu’s alarm.

Yuki watched with bated breath as Gon stared down the snakes before reaching out. He grit his teeth in pain as the snakes all lunged at him, wrapping around his body completely until he was completely covered in the slithering bodies.

It only took two seconds as his hand immediately went to the bottom right of Bodoro’s vest. “Found it!” he held up a jar of red liquid and two syringes. “Yuki!” He tossed them back to her.

“Gon!” Yuki cried out as Gon collapsed backward, the snakes leaving him to return to their master. However, she quickly recovered and began reading the label of the bottle, trying not to look at the syringes.

“Use it on Leorio quick…” Gon weakly rasped from the floor, his eye turning a deep shade of purple. Yuki, having found the numbers she needed, gave the syringe and bottle to Kurapika, telling him the amount he needed to draw. She turned away as she heard the familiar pop of the needle entering the cap as Kurapika extracted the antidote.

She ran over to Gon and began pulling him away from Bourbon’s corpse and toward Kurapika, ignoring the ringing of her ears as Kurapika injected it into Leorio.

“All right, you’re next.”

“Yeah,” Gon mumbled.

“I don’t believe it. He jumped into a nest of poisonous snakes based off the advice of some kid?” Ponzu muttered in disbelief, her face unsettled.

“The odds were in their favor,” Kurapika defended as he administered the antidote to Gon. He noticed that Yuki didn’t look at all at the needle, running back to Leorio and crouching by his head again.

“Huh?”

“If you’re going to poison someone, you’d need the antidote at hand, as a bargaining chip.”

“That’s true, but how could he trust that she knew where the antidote was?” Ponzu questioned.

Kurapika looked confused as well. “I don’t know, but I trust Yuki, and so does Gon. She wouldn’t have said it if she wasn’t absolutely sure.” He turned to look back at Yuki and Leorio. “Leorio’s condition is stabilizing. He should be fine.”

 _‘He looks like he’s not in pain anymore’_ Yuki observed, her shoulders slightly losing their tension.

Ponzu exhaled in disbelief. “You must be really good friends.”

Gon sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the floor. “Hey, do you have any sleeping gas left?”

“I do…”

“Would you trade it for this?” Gon held up the **#103** tag.

“Ah! That’s Bourbon’s!”

Yuki looked over, seeing the exchange. _‘Gon, you better have a plan for me to get that tag… But besides that, he must’ve spent extra time covered in those snakes to get that. Gon, what’s wrong with you? Why are you being so self-sacrificing?’_

“This gives you six points right,” he grinned.

“Yes, that’s right. But what are you going to do with the sleeping gas?”

“Put all the snakes to sleep, so we can escape,” Gon provided.

Ponzu paused before saying, “It’d be more effective than when I sprayed the gas from outside. Within five minutes, the entire cave will fill with gas, and the snakes will be asleep. But it’ll take five minutes!” she exclaimed. “No one can hold their breath that long. There’s no point if we put ourselves to sleep in the process.”

Gon stood up and began stretching his limbs, as if he wasn’t just on the verge of death. “Nine minutes and forty-four seconds.”

“You’re kidding me,” Yuki muttered. _‘First syringes and now sleeping gas…’_ She felt her heart rate pick up, but understood this was the only option.

“That’s my record,” Gon gave a close-eyed smile. “I’ll hold my breath and carry everyone out of here.”

Ponzu looked at him before scrunching her nose up. “I can’t trust you. You might escape by yourself.”

“You really think he’d do that, after jumping into a nest of poisonous snakes to save Leorio,” Kurapika commented. Ponzu glanced at him, her lips pursing more.

“Gon keeps his promises. He wouldn’t leave you here,” Yuki quietly added.

“I’ll get you out of here!” Gon placed his hand over his heart.

They waited as Ponzu stared him down. Her face was tense as she tested his honestly. After a few seconds she sighed, her body losing its tension as she weakly smiled.

…

“It’s ready,” the woman informed.

“On my signal, release the gas.” Gon showed no doubt over his plan. Kurapika and Yuki were helping Leorio sit up, his arms draped across their shoulders. Yuki put her hand on his upper back and used her other to hold his hand that dangled over her shoulder, making sure he wouldn’t fall back.

Gon took a comically deep breath, puffing out his cheeks with as much air as they could hold. He then held out a thumbs up.

Ponzu nervously nodded before turning the top of the gas canister, sending sleeping gas to fill the cave.

Yuki held her breath for as long as she could, which was about three and a half minutes. Her record for outlasting sleeping gas was six minutes, but that was on a day where she wasn’t surviving on an island and almost watched someone die. Leorio’s weight had fully slumped over her and Kurapika. Kurapika had passed out a minute before she did, and he was leaning onto Leorio. She nodded at Gon before she had to take in a breath, trying to quell her panic as the familiar heavy feeling washed over her.

…

“Ah!” Yuki suddenly shot up awake. Her head whipped around as she registered that she was outside, and it was night time.

“Huh? You’re awake?” Gon asked. She looked to see him straightening out Leorio’s body which was laying next to her. Kurapika was next to him, both of them knocked out cold. “It’s only been a minute.”

“My body’s used to sleeping gas. I recover quickly,” she brushed off his comment, standing up. She dusted herself up before walking to Ponzu who was leaning against a tree. Gon followed her as they both crouched down.

“Well, I’ll leave Bourbon’s tag with you,” he placed it on her lap. “If I give Leorio your tag though, he’ll have six points and pass. Consider it the fee for carrying you out of there. Sorry,” Gon reached in and took the tag, sticking out his tongue playfully.

“As for me,” Yuki began. “I never made any deal with you. That seemed like a you and Gon problem, so,” she took the tag from Ponzu’s lap. “I’ll be taking this, thank you.”

Gon laughed, his bruised eye closing as his body shook. Yuki stared at him before giggling slightly as well.

“You know…” she fell back onto the ground, laying her head onto the grass to look up at the stars. “I probably just experienced some of my top phobias in that cave,” she mumbled.

“Huh? Are you okay? You didn’t seem scared.”

“Seriously?” she laughed in disbelief. “I was terrified.”

Calming down, she watched the stars twinkle, the moon shining brightly.

“I guess I’ve gotten really good at it then.”

Gon frowned before leaning back with her, staring up at the sky. “What? Not being afraid?”

“No.”

_“Come in.”_

_Yuki stood up straight at the invitation, taking a deep breath and fixing her training shirt and loose pants before pulling open the shoji doors._

_She closed the door behind her, walking in to sit on a cushion in front of the head priestess, her knees folded under her. “Menta-san, I would like to request something.”_

_“A request,” the old woman laughed. “Well that’s very unlike you.”_

_Yuki pursed her lips and pulled up her shoulders. “I’ve been at the shrine for three years now-“_

_“Has it really been that long?” Menta interrupted, swirling a cup of tea in her hands._

_“…Yes. But I think I’ve recovered a lot since I first got here. I don’t have panic attacks anymore, not even when I’m getting a shot. I’ve learned how to fight and meditate. I-I’m only second to Ikari when it comes to wielding a knife! I was able to live in the woods for a week with only my knife and a box of matches, a-and I’ve passed every fitness and medical test.” Her voice became more and more hurried as she listed her achievements._

_“Yes, Yuki-chan, you’ve made a splendid recovery.” Yuki relaxed slightly at the reassurance. Menta was looking at her fondly, a proud smile on her face. “You are not hindered by the triggers you previously had, and you’re braver than most of the girls here.” Yuki blinked slightly but didn’t say anything, her smile becoming a little forced. “So what is it you would like? A trip out of town? New training regime?” Menta lifted her teacup to take a sip._

_“I…” she took a deep breath. “I want to take the Hunter Exam.”_

_Menta froze, the teacup almost at her lip. “I must’ve misheard you because it almost sounded like you, a twelve year old girl with two years of formal training, just asked me, your guardian and person sworn to keep you safe, to take the Hunter Exam?”_

_“…Two and a half,” Yuki mumbled._

_“No.”_

_“Please Menta-san! The search is going too slow, the police aren’t looking hard enough-“_

_“The detectives are wonderful at their job and are always keeping a lookout for any-“_

_“That’s not good enough! I don’t need a lookout, I need to be out there myself, actively trying to find them!”_

_“You are not ready.”_

_“Yes I am! Even besides the training, because of what Yakuso did, I am physically-“_

_“And what if they don’t want to be found, Yuki!”_

_Yuki went silent at Menta’s exclamation._

_“What if they do not want to be found…Would you accept that reality?”_

_Menta watched the girl as she paused slightly before something passed over her expression._

_“I’m not scared of it, if that’s what you’re asking.” She gave a small determined smile, yet behind her back her hand was clenching hard enough for her nails to almost break her skin. “I promise, Menta-san, I’m ready for this.”_

_The old woman stared her down carefully, but Yuki didn’t falter. Finally she sighed and set down her teacup. “I will have rules that you must follow while you’re out there.”_

_“Yes, ma’am!”_

Yuki blinked at the memory, remembering the mind-numbing panic that overwhelmed her when she was faced with the possibility of her siblings not wanting her. There still existed the chance that she’ll find them and they will simply say hello and turn away, not wanting anything to do with her. As much as she’d like to tell herself she would be fine with their happiness… it was terrifying.

“No, not that. I think I’ve gotten really good at not showing it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Not my best chapter but hey, at least I wrote something. School has started and it’s the worst so there’s that. I also am in the middle of the college application process which is even more stressful sooo these next few months might be scarce in updates. PLEASE COMMENT! I think reading your guys’s comments will genuinely cheer me up so please say literally anything in the comment section. See you guys next time!


	13. Chapter 13

“I can hear that woman’s voice up ahead, the one from the boat,” Yuki said to Leorio. His hand was resting on her shoulder for support, but due to the height difference he had to lean down a bit. He nodded at her observation, still shaking and sweating slightly from the venom that ran through his system just the night before. Yuki had her hands on his wrist and forearm to make sure it didn’t slip from her shoulder.

“We just made it,” Kurapika sighed.

The four of them walked out of the woods to the beach where six other applicants stood in front of a docked boat.

“So, six applicants have passed? Oh?”

They watched as everyone’s heads turned to see their entrance.

“Gon, Yuki,” Killua exclaimed, visibly perking up from his previously slouched posture.

“Ah, four more arrive at the last second,” the woman narrated, writing something down on her clipboard.

“Killua,” Gon and Yuki echoed. Gon held a thumbs up while Yuki nodded at him, her hands still supporting Leorio.

Yuki took note of Gon’s hard look at Hisoka as well as Hisoka’s grin back.

_‘Something bad definitely happened.’_

“And now for the last few members… **#404** , Kurapika-san. # **403** , Leorio-san. **#13** Yuki-san. And **#405** , Gon-san.” They all held up their tags earned as she called their names, watching as she checked something off on her paper. “These ten applicants have passed the Fourth Phase of the exam!”

…

“Killua, I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but your sadistic tendencies are sometimes concerning,” Yuki deadpanned. “I mean yeah those three were dumb jerks but now you kinda made me feel bad for them.”

“You have to admit though that was hilarious,” he grinned at her wolfishly.

“…No comment,” she pouted. “Besides,” she poured out a chocolate ball in her hand and gave the ChocoRobo back to Killua, “you even managed to mess with the ninja too. Honestly I’m kind of impressed.” She popped the sugary treat into her mouth and began chewing on it.

The two of them were sitting in one of the many hallways of the Hunter Association airship, both of them perched on the windowsill with their knees tucked to their chest, facing each other. Yuki had wanted to go and walk off the nerves from the Fourth Phase and Killua decided to join her. They found a window that perfectly faced the passing clouds and decided to chill and eat candy. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were together in one of the other hallways.

“You were super lucky that that guy stepped into your trap though. He had two tags on him too! His target must have been an even bigger idiot than he was.”

“Hey, my traps were sophisticated. Smart people could’ve fallen in them.”

“Uh, yeah, cause a bunch of leaves in specific spots on the ground is totally not suspicious.”

“They blended in!”

They both began laughing together at the ridiculousness of their conversation. Killua chewed another chocolate ball before asking, “What kind of medicine even is that? It’s super potent even in small dosages.”

Yuki’s smile shrank a little before she leaned her head down, resting her cheek on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs so she could look at the blue sky. “Yeah, it was specially made for me… only certain medications and dosages work on me now, so I usually have to carry my own stuff. That medicine was pretty much the equivalent of antibiotics, so it could knock out infections or if used in a high enough dose, anesthesia.”

“Oh, did you go through training too?” Killua raised his eyebrow. “You don’t seem like the type.”

“Training? How does that relate to medicine?” Yuki lifted her head and turned to him, eyebrows furrowed.

“Dosage training. You know, overdosing on stuff over and over until it doesn’t affect you anymore?” Killua gestured mindlessly, an unbothered look on his face.

Yuki stared at him, mouth open slightly with wide eyes. “You’ve… overdosed?” she stuttered out in disbelief.

“Oh yeah, a bunch of times,” Killua tilted the ChocoRobo back into his mouth to get the last of the candies.

“Killua, you’ve overdosed?”

Killua looked at the girl across from him to see she had put down her legs so her whole body was openly facing him. At the repeat of the question, he shifted his eyes slightly, becoming a little uncomfortable.

“Assassin family, remember?”

“That’s not-That’s not something I remember the assassins I knew training!”

“Then they’re bad at their job.”

“Killua, you’re family made you overdose!”

“It’s not even the worst thing, so stop freaking out. Besides, I finished that training when I was like seven,” Killua shrunk a little at the continued assault.

Yuki’s felt her heart break more and more at Killua’s nonchalant attitude about the torture. She just kept imaging little Yuka in that position, and she wanted to cry. Instead, she surged forward and wrapped Killua in her arms. His body tensed under hers as his hands froze in the air.

“I’m so sorry, Killua,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

 _‘When Killua said his family were assassins, I just thought of the self-proclaimed families in Meteor City, the bands of fighters who would organize together and take on Mafia jobs to kill. Those families were only hired to kill Mafia enemies, in other words people who deserved punishment. But those families loved each other, they would never harm one another… To think a child_ _was forced to undergo…no was tortured…Killua…’_

“H-Hey…” Killua spoke after a moment. “You’re being embarrassing.”

Yuki looked up to see Killua was looking out the window, an unknown expression on his face but a slight dusting of pink on his cheeks.

Sniffling a little, Yuki let go of him and backed off to give him space. She took a deep breath before wiping her eyes quickly with her sleeve. “Hey, after the exam I’m supposed to go back to my master. I’m living with her right now. And I was thinking…”

Killua’s head was still turned but his eyes were fixated on her teary ones.

“Maybe you and Gon could come with me. It would only be for a week max, and then if you want, you can go with Gon to look for his dad, or… you could come with me?”

His head snapped fully to hers at the question. “Stay…?”

Yuki sheepishly wrung her hands together as she looked back at the sunset. “I can’t guarantee it will be very exciting. I’ll have to travel to cities and talk to detectives and other Hunters, but with where I am now with no leads, we can pretty much go and try anywhere. So whether you want to go to some big city or a tiny island, it doesn’t really matter until I get some clues. But yeah, first stop would be the shrine,” she began mumbling with a hand on her chin. “Technically you can’t go in the shrine though, but you could stay with Aimi-san in her spare room. You might have to do some chores around the bakery but you’d get free cookies so that’s a plus. Then I have to convince Menta-san to let me go again, but if she says no I’ll probably leave anyways so that’s not really a problem-“

“-Yuki.” Killua’s cheeks were still slightly pink and he looked rightly overwhelmed.

“Sorry! I know this is a lot to consider,” she waved her hands in front of her. “Just, think about it for now, I guess, and no pressure to decide before the end of the exam. Also no pressure to choose yes, I’m sure Gon would love the company himself.”

“…Yuki, I-“

**“I have an announcement for all applicants. The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates. When your number is called, please come to the first reception room, on the second floor. Then we will start with #44, Hisoka-sama.”**

“Interviews?” Killua mumbled. Both of them were looking toward the ceiling as the announcement had rung out. “I hope that’s not the Final Phase. That’d be so boring.” Yuki felt his desire to change the subject, so she went along.

“It’s not. The Exam’s phases are almost always physically based or some mix, but never purely intelligence based. But I don’t know why an interview,” she hypothesized. “Either way, if their starting with Hisoka that means they’re going on the order we finished the Phase. Meaning I’ll be second to last.”

“Yeah…”

Yuki shifted so her back was to the window and she was facing the opposite wall. “Hey, um… Killua?”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever want to talk about anything, now or later… I’m always just a phone call away.”

Killua looked at the girl who just in the past ten minutes offered to share her life with him for an undefined amount of time just after hearing how messed up his family was. She didn’t shrink away in fear or disgust, but… she cried.

“Oh, wait, gosh I’m sorry that was a really elitist thing to say, I mean you literally just ran away from your family I don’t even know if you had a phone let alone if you had time to take one with you, you know send me a letter instead yeah or like a postcard works too, literally just any piece of paper is cool-“

“Stop panicking, nerd,” he reached over and flicked her forehead harshly, causing her to yelp in audible pain and clutch her head. “I’ll send you a letter, or whatever…”

“Cool, but did you have to flick me to say that?” she rasped as her forehead throbbed.

“Yes. And for being so embarrassing I’m taking another ChocoRobo.”

“No!” she gasped, clutching her backpack as if it was a string of pearls and holding it close to her. “I only have one left you heathen!”

“I deserve a tax for having to breathe the same air as your embarassingness,” he reached over and grabbed the bottom, pulling until they were both tugging at it.

“That’s not even a word!”

“Only a nerd would say that!”

“If you rip this backpack, Killua I swear to-“

**“Next is #99, Killua-sama.”**

“Oh, that’s me,” Killua quickly let go, making Yuki give a small scream as the sudden release made her fall back and hit her head against the windowsill.

“Ow!” she used one hand to hold the back of her head and the other for her forehead. “Why are you like this,” she cried dramatically.

He jumped down and put one hand in his pocket, the other waving at her as he walked away. “It’s fun!” he replied, not looking back.

Yuki stuck her tongue out at his back, rubbing her head a last time before collapsing slightly. She leaned back into the windowsill and looked out at the sky, the sun now almost touching the horizon. “…idiot.” She slapped her own forehead, wincing when she felt it hit the same spot as Killua’s flick. “I bombarded him. He was probably so uncomfortable…” she whispered to herself.

_‘I shouldn’t have attacked him like that. Maybe he copes with it by acting like it’s not a big deal, or maybe he really has gotten over it and I just stirred a bad memory. Either way, I was really out of line… I should apologize later… but I don’t want to remind him of it if it hurts him… but I also don’t want him to think I can’t listen to him if he comes to me for anything…’_

“Ahhh,” she whined, closing her eyes. “Why are people so complicated…”

**“Next, #13, Yuki-sama.”**

_‘Well I guess I can’t think about it anymore… let’s just get through this interview.’_

…

“First, why do you want to become a Hunter?”

Yuki sat on a cushion in across the table from the Chairman. The Chairman himself had a notepad and an ink brush in hand, the ink tray on the table in front of him. He sat very casually and relaxed, as if he was out for afternoon tea.

“I’m looking for some missing family members, and so far no normal method of finding them has worked. I’m hoping the resources that come with Hunter License will help, both the information access and the money,” she politely answered, using all the prim and proper manners that were drilled into her at the shrine (especially after coming from such as place like Meteor City).

“Oh, so will you use the License to hire others?”

“Yes. But I will also be out there myself looking for them. The more eyes out there looking, the better.”

“I see,” he wrote some things on the notepad. “Then the next question. Which of the other eight applicants are you keeping an eye on?”

“ **#44** ,” she directly answered. Hisoka was the obvious choice, as out of all the other applicants, she had to watch him the most whenever they were in the same room. Mostly because she felt that if she looked away she’d be killed.

“One last question. Which of the other nine applicants would you least want to fight?”

Yuki frowned at that inquiry. _‘That’s a foreboding question_. _’_

“ **#44** and **#405**. **#44** because I can’t beat him. **#405** because I don’t want to beat him.”

Fighting Hisoka in any capacity sets off so many red alarms, but having to defeat Gon would be mentally challenging. She’d be taking away his chance of finding his family and achieving his dreams. If she had to, she would, but she’d rather not. Killua could also easily beat her, but she felt that because he didn’t actually want a license, she’d be able to give it her all confidently and try again next year.

“Nice job. You’re excused,” Netero casually dismissed, scratching his head.

Yuki stood up and bowed slightly before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Right as the door shut, she placed her hand over her heart, walking away shakily. _‘Dear god that was nerve-wracking. I don’t know if I was being assessed for something, which is already terrifying, but by the literal Chairman? The world has a vendetta against me today…’_

**“Last, #405, Gon-sama.”**

Yuki saw Gon approaching from the end of the hallway, and they grinned at each other, high-fiving as they passed.

Yuki kept walking away, her chest feeling light and giddy at the casual gesture. _‘We just high-fived without even saying anything! That’s so cool! That’s like what people in movies do!’_ She flushed slightly out of happiness, looking at her hand with a dopey smile. _‘No one’s ever done that with me before…’_

She stopped to look out the window, the sky now a beautiful sunset.

_‘Yuka… I think I’ve made friends.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter was shorter, but I didn’t want to start the Final Phase in the middle, so I’m cutting it off here. I hope this isn’t too cheesy!!
> 
> PLEASE READ
> 
> Also, one important note: The “training” Killua underwent as a child is horrific and so disturbing. Gon is an extremely morally complex character, so him not really acknowledging it or thinking much of it later in the series is in line with his character. Yuki, however, is the opposite. She knows what it’s like to be abused and put through awful things, and she knows how it affects someone. So she’s hypersensitive to cases like that where she can relate to the person hurting, which is why she had such an intense reaction to Killua. It was NOT a romantic moment. It was genuinely Yuki crying over someone not only Killua’s experiences, but her own as well, as Killua definitely stirred up some of her own memories. Killua’s reaction is because he literally doesn’t know how to handle any affection. I’m going with the Gon perspective, cause literally Gon could tell Killua anything that even slightly resembles a compliment and he’ll blush cause he cares about what Gon thinks about him. That’s how friendship works so please don’t romanticize this interaction. If anything, be sad about it, because Yuki’s reaction was kind of an embodiment of how she reacts to her own trauma. She herself is just as complicated as Killua, and she doesn’t know what to do with it either.
> 
> That assassin part is also VERY important, so I want to repeat it again: Yuki had no problem with Killua being an assassin, because in her image of what assassins are, they kill people who warrant the mafia after them, meaning very bad, evil people. In other words, assassins kill only bad people, and in general are kind to those who they care for. SHE WOULD NOT BE OKAY WITH IT IF THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. The only time she knows of Killua killing someone was in the Trick Tower where he DEFENDED himself against a CHILD MURDERER. This mindset is extremely important later in the story, so it is important to understand it now.
> 
> Well, thanks for reading. PLEASE COMMENT! Till next time! <3


	14. Chapter 14

“Well ladies and gentlemen, did you get plenty of rest? This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee,” Netero explained. All ten applicants were lined up in a semi-circle in front of him. They had moved into a giant room with green tiled floors and tall stone pillars on the edges. The massive space was enough to accommodate the Chairman, the applicants, the Phase Examiners and eight men dressed in suits still with plenty of room to spare. “The place is all yours until the battles have concluded.”

_‘Battles? Well that is a very vague description, so it might not be that bad.’_

“For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament.”

_‘Oh so it is bad.’_

More men in suits wheeled in what looked like a giant whiteboard covered in a cloth. With one swift motion, Netero dramatically revealed the board underneath. There was a stair-like bracket made to accommodate ten people. The shape indicated that there would be one-on-one battles, and whoever won would move up the bracket.

 _‘Oh so it’s_ really _bad.’_

Yuki stared in horror at the stair-like bracket that Netero had unveiled. From the way it looks, there would be only one winner, and looking at her competition, there was no way it was going to be her. The bottom of the bracket seemed to be covered by a piece of tape, so the order of applicants was a mystery.

“So only the last person standing passes?” Leorio muttered.

“No.”

She practically deflated at the internal sigh of relief that occurred.

“One win is all you need to pass.”

_‘…Oh. I can work with that.’_

“One win?” Gon raised his eyebrows.

“Then, in this tournament…” Leorio seemed just as dumbstruck.

“The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket. In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass.”

 _‘This is doable! If I only need one win, no matter who I’m paired up with in the beginning, the weakest will be weaseled out. Even if I end up in the final pairing, I’ll be going against the weakest one here, who I can easily beat!’_ She paused as she thought of something. _‘How do you become a winner though?’_

“Does everyone understand now?”

“So you’re saying that only one person will fail.” Yuki was slightly surprised when she saw the ninja had made it so far. From the way he was exposing his secrets to everyone in earshot back when she first encountered him, she had taken him as a fake.

“Exactly.”

Yuki looked around at the other applicants faces. Some were smug, like Hanzo and the needle man, some emotionless, like Killua and Pokkle, and some seemed almost nervous, like Leorio.

“And here is the bracket.” Netero grabbed the corner of the tape and peeled it off.

_‘…M-Maybe I’m just looking at this wrong.’_

She felt more than saw Gon and Killua glance at her, clearly seeing the same thing she is.

_‘Typo? Yeah, it’s a mistake. Because there’s no way that this is happening.’_

Worst of all, she felt him staring at her as well.

Schooling her expression, she squared her shoulders and kept her expression neutral despite the internal panic she was undergoing.

Because for her pairing, she was going to fight _Hisoka_.

“Impressive right?”

_‘I hate you old man.’_

“After all, everyone has at least two chances to win.”

“But some people, like **#294** and **#405** , get five chances,” Pokkle interrupted.

“Why didn’t you use a balanced bracket?” Bodoro added.

“A question that must be on everyone’s mind. This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who performed better received more chances.”

_‘Huh? How did I perform better than Killua? Or Kurapika? I mean… I guess I finished the beginning half of First Phase first with Gon and Killua… and I was closest to passing Machi’s test… and even though I got the fifty hour penalty I did clear a lot of battles in Trick Tower… and on the island I set up traps and managed to get three tags…’_

Yuki paused for a moment as she digested her thoughts. _‘I guess I did do pretty well.’_ She began smiling slightly at the validation of her achievements. It felt like someone was actually complimenting her, acknowledging the things she worked hard for.

“That doesn’t sound right.” Killua interjected. _‘Or not.’_ “Can you explain how you scored our performances?” She could tell Killua sounded a little miffed if anything.

“Hm.” Netero huffed. “No!” he wildly shook his head, startling Yuki and Killua as well, who jumped like a spooked cat.

“Why not?!”

Netero gave a hearty chuckle. “Your scores are classified information. So I can’t tell you everything. But I can explain our methods:

First, we consider three major criteria: physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception.

For mental strength, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgement, and creativity. However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were strong enough to advance to the Final Phase.

However, we are most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned. You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter. And we also incorporate the opinions of your peers. That was our process.”

“That’s… vague,” Yuki mumbled to herself.

She could see Killua’s face, his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips upturned slightly showing his confused disapproval. She looked again at the bracket and saw how he was ranked in the middle.

_‘Maybe he’s upset because he didn’t rank higher? It seems like this is just evaluating potential as a Hunter, which is a very specific profession. Besides, he knows he’s stronger and has more mental strength than half of the people here…’_

“The battle rules are quite simple, Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win.”

Yuki blanched at Netero’s last sentence. _‘Admits defeat?! So it’s not whether or not we actually beat them, but if they voluntarily give up? Maybe I should place my bets on giving up against Hisoka to save my strength… But then I’d have to fight against Kurapika…’_

She glanced over at the blonde teenager who was staring silently at Netero. _‘It’s okay. I can fight him. Whoever loses still gets a chance to win, so it’s fine. But… if Kurapika or I lose to Bodoro, then we have to fight Leorio. I don’t want either of them to fail. But if I win and Hisoka passes, I don’t want to make Kurapika fight him either… The best outcome is if somehow Kurapika and I both beat Hisoka, Hisoka beats Bodoro, and Leorio defeats Bodoro as well. I need to find a way to win. More specifically, I need a way to win without actually winning.’_

“However! If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass, and the exam will end.”

_‘That’s good. At least no one will die because Hisoka loses it or something.’_

“Are we clear?”

Silence.

“Then, we shall begin the exam’s Final Phase.”

…

Gon was the first match to go, fighting against Hanzo. Yuki stood next to him as he tied his shoelaces.

“Remember Gon, it’s about making him admit defeat, not necessarily defeat him. You can make him feel like there’s no way he’ll win without actually doing so,” she nervously talked to him. Gon nodded along with her as she spoke, but his determined face hinted that he wasn’t really hearing her. “Good luck,” she whispered as he stood up.

“The first match is Hanzo versus Gon. Please step forward.” Gon and Hanzo walked to the middle of the room before standing across from each other, a man in a suit between them.

“I will serve as the referee. My name is Masta. Best of luck.”

“Hey, good to see you again,” Hanzo spoke to Masta.

_‘Again? Does he know him?’_

“You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase.” Yuki’s eyes widened. _‘Tailing?’_

“You noticed?”

“Naturally… I’m assuming that each applicant was assigned an examiner for the Fourth Phase. Well, I’m sure everyone else noticed.”

 _‘Uh…’_ She thought back to the airship, where Netero seemed to appear out of nowhere despite Gon and Killua clearly sensing something. _‘My perception is even worse than I thought then…’_

She glanced at Killua to see his face looked slightly darker as if he was frustrated by something.

“Hey, did you notice?” she nudged him as she whispered. _‘Maybe I should distract him a bit.’_

“Huh? Of course I did, didn’t you?” he responded.

“I-I guess not,” she mumbled, curling in on herself slightly. She turned her body away from Killua to face Gon and Hanzo, feeling a rush of embarrassment at her inferiority. Killua tensed even further beside her.

“You have my thanks,” Hanzo grinned, “My rank was higher because your reports on me were accurate. Though the outcome was never in doubt!”

“Y-Yes,” Masta replied.

“Moving on, I have a question for you,” Hanzo pointed at Masta.

“What is it?”

“We only win if our opponent surrenders, correct? It doesn’t count if we knock them unconscious. No TKOs allowed, either.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Hanzo and Gon stared at each other for a moment.

 _‘I don’t know how good Hanzo is, but he’s clearly skilled enough to have gotten this far. But honestly it probably doesn’t even matter. Gon could be fighting Hisoka and the outcome would be the same…’_ She thought back to Gon at Trick Tower, refusing to leave anyone behind even if all reason pointed to it. Or Gon in the Second Phase, when he doubled back to find Leorio and Kurapika because he wanted them to pass as well. He even risked reaching into a pile of snakes to find antivenom for his friends. _‘Gon is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. More importantly, he’s stubborn beyond logic. He will do anything to get his way, even if its impossible. There’s no such thing as compromise to him: It’s all or nothing.’_

“Now then, it’s time to begin.”

_‘This isn’t going to be a battle. This is going to be how long will Hanzo last until he sees that fact in Gon.’_

“Begin!” 

Gon immediately rushed to the right to gain distance, an act immediately thwarted by Hanzo appearing right next to him.

_Smack!_

Yuki flinched as Hanzo gave a solid chop to Gon’s neck, sending him crashing to the floor. His mouth was wide open in shocked pain, his eyes blurry and disoriented.

 _‘That was probably strong enough to give him a concussion…’_ She heard Killua click his tongue next to her. _‘He’s probably upset too.’_ Little did she know, she completely wrong as Killua began spiraling more and more into confusion. _‘It seems like Gon really is physically outmatched… He’ll have to change his strategy.’_

“Well, this would already be over if it were a normal fight…” Hanzo walked over and moved Gon into a sitting position, kneeling behind him. He grabbed Gon’s shoulders and placed his knee into his back, pushing until it was digging into his spine. “Here, wake up.”

Gon immediately began making small gasps of pain, his teeth clenched. Yuki was tempted to look away, but even then she wouldn’t be able to escape the noises.

_‘I know Gon will win…’_

“You must feel terrible. I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me. Might as well give up now.”

_‘I know he’ll win, so this doesn’t matter.’_

“No… way…”

Swiftly Hanzo smacked the side of Gon’s head so hard that it rattled back and forth. Gon pursed his lips as if he was about to throw up before taking in more gasps of pain, coughing as he tried to quell his nausea.

_‘Even then…’_

“Think about it. If you surrender now, you’ll still be in decent shape for your next fight. There’s no reason to be stubborn. Just surrender.”

Gon paused, sweat falling down his face as he grit his teeth. He wasn’t hesitating, rather trying to unscramble his mind long enough to answer.

“Never gonna happen!”

Another blow.

_‘Even then… I don’t know if I can watch this for long…’_

Yuki’s whole body cringed at the sound of Hanzo’s punch, turning herself toward Killua slightly as if to shelter herself from the sight of Gon trembling on the floor, clutching his stomach in agony. He made small squeaking noises, not getting enough air as it was knocked out of his lungs.

“Surrender.”

Slowly, Gon placed his hands on the ground, all the while trembling. He carefully pushed himself up, using whatever strength he had left to bring up a knee to kneel, pushing one hand off of his knee to help him stand. Yuki sucked in a breath as she saw Hanzo rear back a fist.

Another punch straight to his chest.

Gon’s face was pale and sweating as he collapsed again.

“Gon! Don’t be silly! You’ll still have another chance! You should-“

“Leorio!” Kurapika stopped him. “If you were in Gon’s position, would you surrender?”

_‘Yes. There’s a line here that Gon is close to crossing. There’s a point where even if you surrender, you’ve lost the Exam because you’ve sustained too much injury. Passing that point means that you cannot surrender no matter what happens to your body, permanent damage or not. It’s too risky. I’d give up once I realized Hanzo would push me to that line. The goal is to pass, not to win. Having the highest chance of success is the most reasonable method. But Gon… he’d never do such a thing.’_

“Hell, no! That guy thinks he’s hot stuff…” Leorio’s shoulders were hunched as he tried to reign back his anger.

“Gon thinks the same.”

“I know, I know! But there isn’t any other choice!”

“You’re contradicting yourself, but I understand how you feel.”

A kick to the stomach. Gon was sent flying across the room, banging against the tiled floor.

 _‘The only way Gon can win is if he can convince Hanzo that he won’t give up. But he really needs to do that sooner than later, or else he might seriously get hurt.’_ Yuki felt like she couldn’t tear her eyes off of Gon’s shaking form. _‘Please hurry up, Gon.’_

A blow to the back again. Hanzo had clasped his fists and sent them into Gon’s back as he was trying to stand up. Gon crashed onto the tile again.

_‘I don’t know how much longer I can watch this…’_

“Killua…” she mumbled. He glanced at her, and she noticed his expression hadn’t changed from that quiet frustration. “Sorry if I grab your arm too tightly… this is… really hard to watch.”

“Are you uncomfortable by this?” His eyebrows furrowed more.

Yuki blinked, not expecting that response. “I-I mean of course. I can already tell this is going to last a long time with how Gon is. In the end he’ll win, but even then… the injuries he’s going to sustain… it’ll be so painful,” she shuttered.

She flinched as she heard another blow and Gon’s cry of pain.

“He’ll win? No he won’t. The other guy is way stronger,” Killua scoffed.

“W-Well, yeah he is,” Yuki hesitantly responded. _‘What’s going on with him?’_ “But there are ways to beat strong opponents without actually fighting them.”

Killua’s frown deepened even more. Yuki thought she heard faint clicking sounds behind her, and felt a stare at her back.

Another punch. She thought she heard something crack.

“I can’t watch,” she swallowed, her throat dry. She gripped Killua’s sleeve in one hand and stared at the floor. _‘I can’t afford to spiral right now. I need to distract myself-‘_

Another kick. She glanced up at Hisoka who was on the other side of Killua.

_‘Strategize. That’s a good focus. I need to think of a way to beat Hisoka, no, make him surrender. I’m not like Gon. I’ll easily give up against Hisoka if he decides he wants to fight me. But knowing him, Hisoka won’t take a surrender as an answer. He craves some-‘_

Gon’s body crashed to the floor again.

_‘-sort of gratification from battle. How can I fight him without risking any bodily harm? The Chairman described them as one-on-one battles, but battles is a vague term in and of itself. Not all fights-‘_

Gon gave a small scream as Hanzo dug his foot into his spine.

 _‘…’_ She took a deep breath. _‘Not all fights have to do with physicality. Maybe I can change the format to some sort of mental battle? Something I can fight him in intellectually. The biggest obstacle will be finding something that Hisoka will agree to in the first place. After all-‘_

“Surrender.”

“…No!”

Another kick. Gon retched.

_‘-Hisoka doesn’t seem to be the type interested in purely mind games. I have to make it appealing to him somehow. Something that he’ll find amusing. After all, he let us go back in the forest because he seemed to find us funny somehow, while still getting what he wanted, even if it wasn’t fully what he needed: the tags. In other words-‘_

“AH!”

_‘Hisoka is willing to give up things he might need in favor of personal enjoyment!’_

Yuki risked looking up, seeing Gon laying down, new streaks of blood on the tile. She quickly looked back down.

_‘I have an idea.’_

…

Three hours.

It had been three hours of blow, after blow, after blow. Bloody streaks and puddles of vomit covered the tile. Gon laid motionless as Hanzo looked down on him, not a scratch on him. The applicants were clearly restless. Hisoka’s body was turned away from the battle, a displeased look on his face. Leorio and Kurapika were physically shaking in anger. Yuki stood motionless, her hand still clutching Killua’s sleeve, yet her knuckles had turned white. She was staring blankly at the fight, a shadow darkening her features, yet her eyes focused like a beacon onto Hanzo.

“It’s been three hours.” Pokkle’s brows were furrowed, a grimace on his face.

“There’s nothing left for him to vomit,” Bodoro grimly added.

Hanzo walked closer to Gon. “Get up.”

Yuki watched as Gon twitched, body jerking as he tried to place his hands under himself to push up.

“Enough already…” Leorio snapped, “I’m gonna kill you! I’ll fight you in his place!”

“If you can’t take it, leave,” Hanzo responded unremorsefully. “It’s only going to get worse.”

“What was that?!” Leorio took a step forward only for two suited men to rush in front of him, blocking his way.

“No one may interfere in a one-on-one match,” Masta firmly stated. “And if you step in, Gon will be the one disqualified!”

“It’s okay…” Yuki’s eyes didn’t leave Hanzo as she heard Gon’s weak words. “Leorio…” he gave a small gasp as he hunched over, hands on his knees, head hanging. “This is… nothing…” he took pauses to give a raspy breath. Ever so slowly he raised his head so he could see them, his face covered in cuts and bruises. “I-I can still fight…”

Yuki tensed even further at seeing his battered face, eyes darkening. A cold, silent fury was had been building up in her no matter how much she looked away. Not being able to interfere, seeing and hearing Gon’s pain, Hanzo’s unrelenting torture: it created a dark sea of emotions that she hadn’t felt in three years. The type that was always the hardest to let go. The type that always got her in the most trouble. The most training. The most punishment.

Hanzo grunted before swiping out Gon’s leg from under him, sending him back to the ground. Then, he folded Gon’s arm behind him, one hand grasping on his forearm and the other flat against his upper arm.

“I’m going to break your arm.”

 _‘Bastard’_ she internally hissed. Even though her face was blank, her eyes gave off her pure hatred and fury. It was a trained expression, one that had clearly been practiced.

“I’m not joking around, so give up. Surrender.”

“Never!”

_SNAP_

The noises that came out of Gon were almost inhuman. His small squeaks of pain expressing the pure agony of his nerves as he clutched his arm, eyes unfocused as he couldn’t even take in a breath.

“He really broke his arm,” Pokkle mumbled, looking away.

“There you go. You can’t use your left arm anymore.”

 _‘I can’t. I can’t do anything now or later. I can only watch. All I can ever do is watch.’_ She could hear her heartbeat throughout her body, slow yet strong and deafening. Her tunnel vision made her focus just on the object of her hatred. She couldn’t even hear what people were saying. She could see Hanzo moving his mouth, but nothing was registering in her brain, even when he did a perfect handstand in front of Gon’s trembling body.

Suddenly Gon kicked Hanzo in the face with all of his strength, sending the ninja across the room in an extremely satisfying fashion. Yuki’s tunnel vision faltered for a second as she looked at Gon, who collapsed immediately after.

“Ow!” He shakily stood again, clutching his arm. “My head’s cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation.” Though his voice was slightly shaky, it was more annoyed than anything, with Gon’s face looking angry rather than in pain.

“Yes! Gon, go! Kick him while he’s down!” Leorio cheered.

“If you’re eighteen, you’re only six years older than I am,” Gon continued. “Besides, this isn’t a battle to see who’s stronger. It’s to see who’s willing to surrender.”

Hanzo flipped backwards so he was standing again, a trail of blood coming from his nose. “I let you kick me on purpose.”

“LIAR!” Leorio called out.

“You don’t understand… This isn’t a warning. It’s an ultimatum. Was it too hard for you to understand? Then I’ll make it easier for you.” He touched his bandaged wrist, and a concealed blade came out, as long as his forearm. “I’ll cut off your legs, so that they can’t be reattached. A permanent injury should help to wake you up. But first, I’ll ask you once more.” His expression darkened. “Surrender.”

Gon stared defiantly back at him, an angry pout on his face.

“I won’t accept that!”

_‘…What?’_

“I don’t want my legs cut off, but I don’t want to surrender. So let’s find a different way to fight!”

Hanzo blinked before a vein popped on his forehead, yelling in anger, “Hey! Do you understand your own situation?!”

Feeling her anger recede slightly, Yuki took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing. Everyone was chuckling at the situation, even Hisoka. _‘The atmosphere has changed. Hanzo is finally starting to realize.’_

“You don’t get to make demands!” he yelled in frustration. “Are you trying to insult me?! I’m seriously gonna cut off your legs!”

“But I still will not surrender,” Gon didn’t flinch. “Besides, if you do that, I’ll bleed to death. He’ll be disqualified if that happens, right?” Gon leaned over to look at Masta.

“Oh, yes,” even Masta looked confused by the situation.

“See?” Gon furrowed his brows as if he was talking to a child having a tantrum. “Neither of us want that to happen. So let’s think of a better way.”

Hanzo made a noise of pure disbelief and anger as he grit his teeth, looking absolutely taken aback. Gon stood patiently, covered in blood and bruises, waiting for his response.

“I think it’s okay now. Gon’s taken control,” Kurpika sighed in amusement.

“He’s so self-centered…” Leorio mumbled in disbelief.

“But he’s succeeded in convincing Hanzo and the rest of us.”

“Honestly.”

Yuki felt Killua shift slightly and she turned to see him looking around at the other applicants who were relaxed with smiles. He made eye contact with her and stared hard at her, face scrunching up even more.

“You okay?” she quietly asked. Killua seemed even more startled. It had been the first words she’d spoken in over two hours. He ignored her.

Hanzo suddenly thrust his blade so the point dug into Gon’s forehead, causing a small stream of blood to trickle down his face. The boy didn’t even blink at the attack.

“You really don’t get it… If you die, you’ll never get another chance. If I kill you here, I need only try again next year. We are not on equal footing!”

_‘You’re right, but not in the way you think. Gon’s leagues above you when it comes to stubbornness.’_

Hanzo stared at Gon, who unwaveringly looked back at him. Hanzo’s expression became more and more trouble, a bead of sweat falling down his face. “Why won’t you conceded? It’s easy to do. You can try again next year. You value your pride more than your own life?! You’re really willing to die for your pride?!”

“I’m going to find my dad.” Gon simply responded.

“Your dad?”

“My dad is a Hunter. So I’m going to become a Hunter and find him!” His eyes shined with determination. “I believe that I’ll find him one day… But I have a feeling that if I give up now, I’ll never find him! So I won’t surrender.”

Hanzo’s brows furrowed even more. “If you don’t yield, you’ll die…” As if to test it, he pushed his blade further into Gon, who simply leaned back slightly with the pressure.

_‘Got him.’_

Hanzo pulled his blade off of Gon, and with a flick of his wrist sent it back under his bandages. He walked a few steps away and turned to the corner.

“I give up. You win.”

Yuki smiled and gave a small breath. “About time. That took way longer than I thought,” she muttered. She didn’t see Killua’s gaze snapped to her, his eyes wide and mouth opened slightly in shock.

“I can’t kill you. But I can’t think of a way to make you surrender. I’ll take this loss and take my chances in the next battle!”

“I can’t accept that,” Gon pointed at Hanzo, “That’s not fair!”

_‘Gon I know you’re stubborn but this is beyond excessive.’_

“We both have to think of a way to settle this fight!”

“Heh, I knew you would say that,” he scoffed. Suddenly Hanzo turned to Gon, pointing a finger at him as he bent down to be eye level. “You idiot! There’s no point, because you’ll never surrender!”

“But I don’t want to win like this!” Gon yelled back in equal volume.

“What am I supposed to do?!”

“We can work together to figure it out!”

Hanzo stood to his full height, his eyebrow twitching. “In other words, I’ve already given up on this match, but you want me to try to win again, while helping to determine a way to make you feel good about your victory! Is that right?”

“Uh-huh!” Gon smiled innocently.

“YOU IDIOT!” Hanzo punched Gon, sending him tumbling back. It was hard enough that Gon was knocked unconscious.

“Hey, ref. I lose, Let’s move on to the next match.”

“Understood.”

“But I want to tell the executive committee something first. When he wakes up, he’ll probably refuse his passing judgement. Because he’s a stubborn boy, as we’ve seen. Only one person will fail this round, right? If Gon fails, wouldn’t that make the rest of our fights meaningless?”

“Don’t worry. Gon has passed. Nothing he says can change that,” Netero confirmed.

Yuki, Kurapika, and Leorio all gave a sigh of relief with the final declaration. Hanzo began walking back to his spot along the wall.

 _‘It’s finally over… Now…’_ she looked over at Hisoka. _‘It’s my turn.’_

Suddenly, Killua spoke up as Hanzo was walking. “Why did you let him win?”

_‘Huh?’_

“Let him win?” Hanzo seemed to be thinking similar thoughts.

“I’m sure you knew how to make Gon surrender without killing him. Given your skills.” He spoke calmly and surely, as if it was just an innocent question. Everyone was looking at the white-haired boy as he stared firmly at the ground.

Hanzo paused before turning fully to Killua. “When I torture someone, I expect that person to hate me for the rest of their life. It’s more effective and less stressful. When someone is in pain, their eyes show a gleam of hostility toward the one responsible for that pain. Even with extensive training, it is difficult to suppress that gleam of hate and rage. But there was no gleam in Gon’s eyes. Can you believe it? I had just broken his arm. But his eyes had already forgotten about that.”

Yuki tried to read Killua’s face, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I guess you could say that he won me over. If you need a reason, there you go.” And with that Hanzo ended the conversation, walking back in line. Though everyone finally looked away from Killua, Yuki kept her eyes trained on him.

_‘Is Killua…okay?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Wow it has been forever but seriously these past few weeks have been the busiest of my life. The only reason I could write this is because I started at 10 PM and now it’s 1 AM so that’s great. Between online school and college applications, my free time is literally nonexistent, but every chance I have I think about this story and how much I love writing it. Thank you guys for waiting for me to post, I know it’s been a while so I made it long. Sorry for all the dialogue, but this was kinda something Yuki couldn’t interfere with much. Dropped some more foreshadowing and hints, and set up a fight that I’m still planning (Yuki v. Hisoka). Also I genuinely forgot how hard this episode is to watch, like I wasn't exaggerating with Gon's noises, they're actually that bad. PLEASE COMMENT IT WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE ME SO HAPPY! You can literally say anything, but I just need the serotonin not gonna lie. I’m thinking of doing a Q&A after this arc, and maybe make it a tradition after every (major) one. Thank you for reading! See you next time!


	15. Chapter 15

“The second match is Hisoka versus Yuki. Please step forward.”

_‘Okay, I can do this. Just stick to the plan.’_

Unlike the previous match where Leorio was yelling out encouragements to fight, he now had a tense expression, lips pursed and a bead of nervous sweat falling down his forehead. When she made eye contact with him, he gave a crooked smile and thumbs up.

_‘Not helping, but thank you.’_

Firmly stepping forward, she walked parallel with Hisoka in front of Masta.

_‘I have to look confident and unwavering. Don’t give any tell that you’re doubting yourself. That’s the only way this’ll work.’_

“Are both of you ready?” Masta asked.

“Yes,” Hisoka hummed.

“Yes,” Yuki stated.

Masta put his arms out before swiftly crossing them in front of him. “Now then, begin!”

The hall was absolutely silent as Yuki looked up at Hisoka, neither of them making any move. Hisoka had a small smile on his face.

“What are you waiting for? Do you want me to go first?” he gestured lazily with his hand.

She squared her shoulders and firmly met his gaze. “I actually have a proposition for you.”

Hisoka narrowed his eyes as his lips upturned slightly. “Oh?”

“There are no rules that we have to physically fight, only that one of us has to surrender.” She took a pause, knowing the next part was key for this to work. “I want to play a card game instead as the decider. Whoever loses the game gives up and loses the match.”

“A card game?” she heard Kurapika echo in confusion.

“Hm, I don’t know, I think it would be more fun to fight,” Hisoka playfully denied. He flicked his wrist and a card appeared between his fingers, adding to his threat. Even if he was saying no, the fact that he hadn’t attacked her yet was a good sign. Now she just had to use her last point.

“If you choose not to play,” she raised her voice and glared at him, “I’ll give up!” Unwavering, she stared at him, his face unchanging with her declaration.

“…Huh?” Leorio mumbled.

“She’ll give up?” Pokkle echoed. “Isn’t that… bad for her?”

Hisoka kept his eyes locked on hers, his amber eyes glimmering like poison, but she knew if she faltered then he might just start attacking her anyways.

_‘Hisoka is willing to give up things he might need in favor of personal enjoyment. If he says he won’t fight, then he’ll win the round right away, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of even trying to fight him. He’d be much more interested in this gamble. It’d still give him a chance to win, but he would actually get pleasure from it. This is the only way I can beat him. Now I’ve got the power in this situation!’_

Killua furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. _‘Shouldn’t Hisoka just say no to her offer? He’s the one who’s stronger. If he’s more concerned with personal enjoyment, he can just break her windpipe and keep attacking her until she’s forced to fight back, making it so she can’t give up anyways…’_

The hall watched with bated breath as Hisoka began chuckling.

“So, if I choose to play, what game would it be?” he drawled.

Yuki knew that this would come back to harm her, but she had to make the offer as appealing as possible. If she offered a game, he might decide not to if he finds it not interesting enough, a game based on chance especially would do that. He wants something with strategy, something that I can challenge him in. In order to increase the chances of him actually excepting the offer, she had to sacrifice this.

“You get to choose the game. All I ask is that if it is a game I am unfamiliar with, you explain the rules to me.”

He hummed at her answer.

_‘Please, please, please, please, please just say yes’_

Hisoka closed his eyes and looked down with a smile, raising his arms in a shrug. “Sounds interesting. Let’s play.”

Yuki nearly collapsed in relief, but a small blush of excitement and satisfaction colored her cheeks. _‘It worked!’_

“Yes!” she responded to him after a moment of him waiting for her. “Do you have an idea of what game you’d like?” She suddenly turned to the referee. "Oh, Masta-san, is there any way we can get a table and chairs?” she politely asked.

“S-Sure,” he replied, slightly in shock at Hisoka’s agreement. He motioned to a few of the other men in suits, who quietly left the hall, returning only a moment later with a circular wooden table and two wooden chairs, both with beautiful carvings and green furnishings. Yuki said a thank you to the men who brought the seating. She motioned to the chair at Hisoka, who smiled in amusement before sitting down, crossing his legs. She followed in suit, her legs dangling an inch off the ground because of the height.

 _‘What?’_ Killua blinked. _‘Why did he agree? He’s way stronger than her. He has the power here…’_

“Okay, I’ve decided.” Hisoka teasingly begins, pulling out a deck of cards. “Have you ever heard of Egyptian Rat Screw?”

_‘Egyptian What What?’_

“N-No, I can’t say that I have,” Yuki blinks at the odd name.

“It’s simple really, a fun game for two people,” he pulled out the deck and began expertly shuffling them, not looking away from her. “We will each have 26 cards which we must keep facedown and cannot look at,” he began dealing cards in two even piles, alternatively putting one card down for each. “Since I’m dealing, you will put down the first card from your deck, not flipping it over until the moment you are about to put it on the pile. If it is a numbered card, we can continue until a face card or an Ace is put down. When that happens, the other player must put down a face or an Ace in order for the game to continue, if not the deck goes to the player who placed it down. The only way to avoid this is if there is a special combination leading up to that number.”

Yuki listened extremely carefully, trying to soak in every word and formulate questions or strategies in her head. She’d never played this game before, but at this point it seemed rather easy.

“If any of these patterns happen, whoever slaps the deck can get all of the cards there. One, when doubles are played. Two, when a sandwich occurs, where two cards of the same value are played consecutively, but are separated by a card of a different value. Three, when two cards played consecutively add up to a ten. Four, anytime a joker is played. Five, when four cards are in consistent ascending or descending order. And lastly, when a “marriage” occurs, meaning a Queen is placed on top of or below a King. If a player slaps the deck without any of these happening, they have to discard a card to the bottom of the pile. ”

“That’s too complicated!” She heard Leorio protest, and she agreed.

 _‘That’s so much to keep track of. I’ll have to memorize every card that’s being placed, up to four cards previously. Not to mention the actual slapping part. Hisoka is much faster than I am, which means if we both recognize it at the same time, he’s going to be the won to get the card. His arms is also longer than mine, which is just another disadvantage. My best chances are just to try and think faster. Even then... isn't this a game of luck? I get there's skill in the hitting but even then... why would he choose this? Just in case, I’ll try to remember every card. But…’_ she schooled her expression as Hisoka passed her half of the deck.

“And how do you win?” she calmly questioned.

Hisoka’s smile widened at her question. “Whoever ends up with all of the cards.”

“Understood,” she nodded. _‘…this was my choice, and it’s the only way I have a chance at winning this.’_ “Then, I’ll begin.”

After pausing for a moment, she carefully lifted the card on top of her pile, flipping it over quickly just as she reached the middle of the table.

_4_

Without hesitation, Hisoka laid down the next card.

_6_

Yuki’s eyes were deadlocked onto the pile as she pulled the top card off her deck, flipping it over.

_4_

_‘Sandwich!’_

She felt like her arm was in slow-motion as she let go of it, lifting her hand slightly and beginning to slam it down.

_‘Huh?’_

Hisoka’s hand was already on top of the pile. She hadn’t even seen him move.

_‘It’s already… there?’_

With a silent grin, Hisoka swept out the cards and added them to the bottom of his pile.

“I believe it’s my turn next,” he continued on.

“I-I barely saw his hand move,” Leorio scratched his head.

“This isn’t good,” Kurapika furrowed his eyebrows.

Leorio looked over to him. “Yeah, Hisoka’s way too fast.”

“No, not that,” Kurapika didn’t look away from the sitting duo. “Yuki probably just lost a lot of her confidence because of that. She knows of the massive strength gap between them, but she had hope that she would at least have a chance of winning. Seeing that, she probably is doubting herself, which is going to seriously harm her reaction time.”

Leorio grunted in displeasure before cupping his hands over his mouth and shouting, “Don’t worry, Yuki! You just gotta be faster than him next time! You can do it!”

The girl’s eyes flickered to him for a moment, but her shoulders remained bunched up, giving no response to his encouragement.

_9_

_4_

_7_

_10_

_4_

_9_

_3_

_2_

_7_

_6_

_Jack_

Yuki lunged for the card, both of their hands landing on the same time, but Hisoka’s had more of his hand on it. “I guess that goes to you then,” she removed her hand, wincing slightly before noticing a few drops of blood were on the card. _‘Huh?’_

“Oops, sorry about that,” Hisoka grinned, showing his sharp nails, with the one on his pointer finger having a drop of blood on it. “Guess we were both too quick.”

Yuki blinked before nodding. _‘It’s fine. It only stings a little.’_

_4_

_9_

_6_

_3_

_7_

Yuki slapped the card as fast as she could, feeling a wave of adrenaline pass over her as she felt her hand come in contact with the card. _‘Wait, did Hisoka go for it?’_ Hisoka hadn’t moved from his position.

“Hm? I didn’t see it. Good catch,” his eyes lidded slightly as he caught onto her confusion. Carefully, she put the deck into her pile.

_8_

_5_

_2_

_10_

_Queen_

She now had to give up a card and hope it was a face. She flipped over her card and laid it down.

_King_

This time Hisoka was faster than her. Even though she put down an adequate card to continue the game, it was a “marriage” combination.

 _‘He has nearly twice as many cards as I do now, 34 to my 18,_ ’ she looked at her deck which was already significantly thinner than his. _‘I just need to keep playing.’_

_8_

_3_

_2_

_9_

_10_

_8_

_Ace_

_Jack_

_Queen_

_Ace_

_6_

_9_

_8_

_5_

_7_

_2_

_2_

Hisoka’s hand reached the pile first. _‘Shit. He’s at 42 cards and I have 10. I need to win the next one.’_ She put down the next card.

_6_

_9_

_Queen_

_Jack_

_5_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_‘Descending!’_ Luckily her hand was already there, and she managed to beat Hisoka by half a second. _‘I still only have 14 cards though…’_

_Ace_

_Queen_

_3_

_6_

_2_

_7_

_8_

_‘Only ten cards left…’_

_3_

_2_

_King_

_Jack_

_9_

_2_

_4_

_5_

_8_

_9_

“So, indulge me,” Hisoka interrupted before it was his turn to lay down a card.

“Huh?” Yuki was so focused that the sudden statement caught her off guard.

Hisoka placed his chin on his hand as he leaned forward more on the table. “Why is someone like you taking the Hunter Exam? You’re quite a smart girl, you could have a great future ahead of you without risking your life in something like this.” His face looked like he was telling an inside joke, something only he was privy to.

She narrowed her eyes, not exactly being comfortable with the question. “The resources would be good to have.”

“What? The money? I can’t imagine why a little girl would want that. Besides, there are safer and more reliable ways to get rich.” Hisoka’s voice was condescending, as he knew she was holding back.

“…The information sources. It’s your turn,” she let out.

Hisoka ignored her nudge for him to drop it. “Information? Looking for someone, are you?”

Yuki’s body froze, becoming more defensive. “And what of it?”

Hisoka’s hand covered the bottom of his face as his eyes became slightly lidded. His shoulders shook with a deep chuckle. “Nothing, nothing. Just curious.” He laid down his next card.

_3_

_4_

_6_

_9_

“And do you think you’re strong enough to find them?”

_8_

“I’ll get strong enough.”

_9_

“ _Good answer._ ”

_10_

_‘One card left. But this order… and his next card… If I can get to it first, I win.’_ She began hovering her hand over the pile. Hisoka paused, looking up at her just as he was about to draw his card.

“Hoping the next card will save you? You only have one left. If you hit it and it’s not a nine, ten, or Jack, you’ll lose,” Hisoka gestured with his hand.

Yuki didn’t move her hand or look up from the pile. “I don’t need hope.” She felt her focus narrowing down into tunnel vision. Everything around her disappeared. The only thing that existed was the pile in front of her. Her focus was so intense she felt that same sensation of the second skin coming out a few inches away from her, her hand now being able to “see” the pile more clearly.

It was in slow motion, Hisoka laid down the next card and began flipping it over. Before he could finish, Yuki slammed down her hand, bending the card in half but still having her hand on have of the white side. _‘Did I-‘_

_DANGER_

Her left hand suddenly snapped in front of her face, catching a card that was centimeters away from her forehead. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline running through her as she was forced to snap back into reality. She had just barely felt the card coming before her arm could react fast enough, any later and it would have killed her.

In a daze, she looked down at the folded card, a bloody Jack.

She suddenly felt a flare of panic. _‘He just attacked me. Does that mean he doesn’t want to play anymore. If he got his fill, that means he won’t care anymore. I need to get out!’_

She whipped her head to Masta. “I-“

“I give up,” Hisoka interrupted her.

“-what?” her whole body deflated with confusion. Hisoka swiftly stood up from the table, looking down at her confounded expression. “W-Why? Why did you give up?” she stood up with him. “Even with those cards, we’re back at the beginning with 26 each. It could’ve gone either way from there! Wait, forget that,” she shook her head, “why did you attack me?”

Hisoka hummed in amusement, enjoying her confusion. “You entertained me enough,” he reached forward and patted her twice on the head, Yuki flinching just slightly. “Thanks for the game,” he began walking back to the line, waving at her over his shoulder.

 _‘W-What just happened?’_ She stood there for a moment before the men in suits came in, taking away the table and chairs. _‘I guess I should just be glad that he did that. I was about to give up myself.’_ She walked back over, deciding to this time stand between Leorio and Kurapika. Leorio held up a hand for a high-five, a large grin on his face which Yuki blinked at before returning.

“That was great, kid! Don’t know what happened at the end there, but you won!” He ruffled her hair, which this time she didn’t flinch at. Her face scrunched up at the treatment.

“Me neither,” she replied. “I don’t get it. If he was entertained enough, and he knew I was about to give up, everything was in his favor… he could’ve easily let me give up and he would’ve gotten both the win and the satisfaction of it.” She shooed off Leorio’s hand after she felt her hair was thoroughly messed up.

“I don’t know either, but it’s Hisoka. He’s not exactly an open book,” Kurapika comforted, patting her shoulder. He looked over to the jester who’s expression was slightly disturbing. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get away with a game when I fight him. I think you riled him up.” Yuki glanced over, feeling a sense of danger coming from him. She frowned. _‘I didn’t even consider that… it was like that back in the forest, wasn’t it? He was itching for a fight with someone back then too…’_

“Don’t worry though,” Kurapika suddenly firmly interrupted her thoughts before she could apologize. “I can fight him.”

She looked up at his stony expression. _‘That’s right. Kurapika is like me kinda… He’s willing to fight anything or anyone if it means getting closer to avenging his clan. Although, he’s got more of the confidence and physical skill to back it up…’_

“The next match is Hanzo versus Pokkle!”

Caught up in their conversation, she didn’t notice Killua who’s troubled expression was getting darker every second.

Suddenly a thought came over her. _‘Wait… did I just pass the exam?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: The amount of math I had to do for this chapter was ungodly. Shoutout to my friends who endured me counting out loud and struggling with basic subtraction. Specifically shoutout to glotty2000 (a real life friend) who insisted I gave her one and wanted me to tell my readers to go read her work (read at your own discretion). This was shorter than the last chapter, but I kinda wanted to get the fight all in one place. I hope it made sense! I hope it wasn’t too boring, and that it was fun to read. The next chapter will be the Illumi reveal and that whole mess so stay tuned for that. PLEASE COMMENT! I’ve gone a month without hearing all you lovely people and I am comment deprived. Thank you and see you soon!


	16. Chapter 16

The next match was Hanzo versus Pokkle. It went down very similarly as Gon’s fight did, except this time Pokkle immediately surrendered.

The fight between Kurapika and Hisoka was… strange. Just as Kurapika predicted, Hisoka was in a fighting mood, and the two engaged in combat the second the match began. It seemed like it was hopeless for Kurapika. No matter how much he fought back, he was losing stamina and getting bruises, while Hisoka was almost untouched. Hisoka then leaned in and whispered into Kurapika’s ear, and suddenly the match was over, with Hisoka once again conceding. Yuki was concerned, especially with the pale expression Kurapika donned. She tried talking to him, but stopped when he became unresponsive.

Killua had the next match versus Pokkle, but as soon as the fight began, Killua walked away. He confidently declared that he wasn’t interested in fighting, conceding with a lazy smirk. Yuki’s jaw was almost to the floor as Killua walked back. She wanted to smack him for being so stupid, but paused. _‘If my priority is passing, his is having fun… I guess this lines up with that at least.’_ She still sighed deeply and gave him a disapproving look.

Hisoka versus Bodoro was extremely one-sided, with Hisoka delivering blows just shy of lethal. Unlike Kurapika’s match where he seemed actually excited, here he was disinterested, a bored expression his face. Bodoro gave up when Hisoka whispered something in his ear.

“Please take the next match seriously,” Yuki pleaded to Killua before his second match. “Besides, we’ve never actually seen this guy fight. Or do anything actually… You don’t know how strong or capable he is. Just be careful.”

“…Something about this guy seems off. It’s fine, I’ll win either way. Even if he’s strong, I doubt he’s stronger than me.” Even then, when Killua walked forward, his expression was definitely more serious than it had been with Pokkle.

Gittarackur was a tall figure wearing green clothes with bulbous yellow pins. His skin was a light purple, those same yellow pins embedded in his face. He had a light blue mohawk, and an unmoving expression. He merely watched as Killua took quiet, careful steps forward, one by one.

_‘Good, he’s approaching carefully. This guy is creepy… he’s just… watching. Is he even going to-_

“It’s been too long, Kil.”

Yuki nearly jumped at the deep distorted voice that came from Gittarackur. The last thing she expected was for him to talk, especially after never hearing a word from him. The strange man lifted a hand, his whole body making rattling noise with the movement. He began pulling out the pins, one by one, while Killua watched in confusion and slight trepidation.

She watched in disgust and horror as his face popped and his bones shifted, his hair growing out and turning silky midnight black. His skin turned into a pale complexion, and his eyes became completely black in both the iris and the pupil.

More shocked than anyone was Killua, who to Yuki’s confusion began trembling, his eyes blown wide and sweat going down his face.

“Does Killua know him?” she mumbled to herself.

All it took was one word for Yuki’s entire body to freeze.

“Brother…”

 _‘Brother? That means he’s an assassin, someone Killua hates so much he’s willing to sell him out. Someone who stood by as Killua was tortured. Someone Killua is clearly terrified of.’_ Her mind was running a mile a minute, her eyes darting between the two figures. _‘Is Killua going to be okay? He should just concede right now, he still has the fight against Bodoro if Leorio defeats him. Killua’s twelve and his family raised him to be so strong already. His brother looks twice his age. His experience and skills must far outweigh Killua’s. That coupled with Killua’s absolute terror of him makes it not worth even trying here.’_

“Hey,” the man casually greets.

“Killua’s brother?” Leorio echoed.

“He used those needles to change the shape of his face?!” Kurapika stated in disbelief.

“This really isn’t good…” she took a step back, catching the attention of Leorio and Kurapika. _‘How much do they know about Killua’s family? About what they’ve done?’_

“I heard that you cut up Mom and Milluki,” the brother calmly remarked.

“I guess,” Killua gave a nervous smile, his fear still clear on his face.

The man tilted his head, his black hair slipping off his shoulder. “Mom was crying.”

“Anyone would cry if their son did that to them,” Leorio furrowed his brow.

“-Tears of joy.” Leorio nearly fell over in shock. “She was so happy to see that you’d grown up. But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked me to check up on you. I didn’t know you wanted to be a Hunter. I’m trying to get a license for my next job.” The way he talked was calm and casual, as if he was merely sitting down for a chat.

Killua looked down at the floor. “I don’t really want to be a Hunter. I just felt like taking the exam.” Even as he said it, his voice was small and direct, so different from his usual carefree disobedience.

“I see… That’s a relief. Then I have some advice for you.” He made direct eye contact with Killua, who began shaking slightly. “You’re not cut out to be a Hunter.” Killua jolted as if he had been electrocuted. “You were born to be…”

Yuki felt her heart pick up as she saw how violently Killua was reacting. Fear began making it’s way into her core as well the longer she looked at the man.

“…a killer.”

 _‘Enough!’_ She felt her voice get caught in her throat as she mumbled, “You’re wrong.” It was too quiet for anyone to hear. This position, this conversation, this feeling, it was all too familiar.

**_“So, what will you choose?”_ **

“You’re a puppet of darkness, without passion. You don’t want anything or wish for anything. As one who lives in the shadows, you can only feel pleasure when people die. That’s how Dad and I raised you.”

She could only watch, shocked at the harsh words attacking Killua from his own brother.

“What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?”

“…True, I don’t desire to become a Hunter. Butt… I do have something I want…” Killua breathed out, a bead of sweat falling down at his defiance.

“You don’t.”

“I do! There’s something I really want!”

“Hmm,” the man gestured toward Killua. “Tell me what it is that you want.” At this Killua seemed to lose all his confidence, looking down at the floor again. “What’s wrong? There’s nothing you really want, is there?”

“That’s not it!” Killua desperately yelled. Yet after that there was another pause, as if he was trying to gain the courage to actually say it. “I want to be friends with Gon and Yuki…”

Yuki felt as if she had just been punched in the face with Killua’s statement. _‘…Friends? With me?’_ Her cheeks pinked slightly at the thought. The absolute sincerity in Killua’s voice, his gentle declaration, shocked her out of any fear she was drowning in.

“I’m sick of killing people… I want to become friends with them, and to live a normal life.”

“That’s impossible.”

Killua flinched.

“You’ll never be able to make friends. Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That’s how you were trained. You just don’t know how to classify those two, because they’re too dazzling for your eyes. You don’t actually want to become friends with him.”

“…You’re wrong.”

“If you stay with them, you’ll end up wanting to kill them one day. You’ll get the urge to see if you can kill them or not. Because you have the soul of a killer.”

Yuki felt her rage boiling over, no longer thinking about her past. “Screw it,” she darkly said. “KILLUA!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. A man in a suit quickly came to stand in front of her, but she didn’t move. Killua didn’t look at her. “Listen to me you idiot!” His eyes flickered to her for a second. “Puppet of darkness? No passion? No desires? You’ve got to be joking! What happened to wanting to travel, to painting with me, to fishing with Gon?” She sidestepped the man so she could look at Killua. “Please! He’s just trying to manipulate you! Trust me, I would know!

**_“Well, then you would be the one killing her, wouldn’t you? After all, it’s your words that will decide her fate.”_ **

“He’s putting words in your mouth and thoughts in your head so you’ll do exactly what he wants! The only reason he’s saying this stuff is because he knows that it’s not true!”

**_“You can say no. I won’t do anything to you if you do.”_ **

“But it’s not you- you-“ She felt her voice seize up as she was overcome with emotion. It was now or never. “You and Gon are already my friends! And I know that’s how Gon feels too!” She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks warm up more with the declaration.

“Is that right?” the man turned to her.

She glared darkly at him. “I’d bet my life on it.”

“Really? That’s not good. You two consider Kill a friend.” He put his hand on his chin in contemplation. “Bet your life on it, huh? Okay, I’ll kill you and Gon.”

Yuki froze, her whole body seizing up at the sudden pressure that just overcame the room. Killua began violently trembling.

“A killer doesn’t need any friends. They’ll only slow you down.” He turned toward the line of applicants. “I guess it’d be more convenient to kill her first.”

One of the men tried to come over and stop him. “P-Please wait, the match is still-“ without looking, Killua’s brother threw three yellow pins into his head, making his face distort grotesquely as he made gurgling noises.

“And where is Gon?”

“Th-The waiting room over there!”

“Thank you.”

Yuki was still frozen as Kurapika and Leorio stepped in front of her, forming a protective shield. However, what she didn’t expect was Hanzo to be in the middle. _‘No, I can’t let them risk their lives.’_

“So what!” she shouted at him. He looked down at her with those empty eyes, and she didn’t think as she grabbed the back of Kurapika’s clothing. “You kill me or Gon, and then you don’t pass. Better yet, Killua passes instead.”

“Hmm… That is true. And I do need a Hunter license to do my job…” He put his finger to his forehead almost playfully. “I know! I’ll pass the exam before killing you.”

She gripped Kurapika’s tabard tighter but refused to show her fear. After all, it was the only thing she could do in this situation.

“Bastard…” Leorio growled.

The man turned to Netero and asked, “If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?”

“Yes, according to the rules,” Netero responded, unfazed.

“Did you hear that, Kil? You have to beat me if you want to save them.” His voice darkened as he turned toward his younger brother, approaching menacingly. “Will you fight me for your friend’s sake? You can’t do it. Because you’re more worried about whether or not you can defeat me.” Killua gave a rasping gasp for breath as his brother stopped right in front of him. “And you already have your answer. _I’m not strong enough to beat my brother_.” Silently he began reaching his arm out, graceful as a swan. “Never fight an enemy you can’t beat. I drilled that into you…”

Yuki watched helplessly as Killua started hyperventilating, beginning to move his foot backwards.

“Don’t move!” Killua whimpered in fear. “If you move an inch, I’ll assume that the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, that will also mean the fight has begun.” His hand reached further and further toward Killua’s head. “There’s only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don’t forget… If you don’t fight me, both your dear Yuki and Gon will die.”

“Take him out, Killua!” Leorio shouted, trying to encourage the boy to move. _‘He doesn’t see the disparity between the two, he doesn’t know what Killua is feeling right now.’_

**_“I-I… I choose… I…”_ **

**_“Why are you hesitating so much? I guess you must not care about her enough. Your mother would have already decided. I still can’t believe you’re her daughter. I mean, look at you, you’re pathetic, can’t even string a sentence together.”_ **

**_“I-“_ **

“We won’t let him kill any of you kids! We’ll stop him, whatever it takes! Let him have it!”

“Killua?” Yuki mumbled as she saw him drop his head.

“I surrender.” And just like that, the suffocating feeling in the room was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. “I lose…”

She felt her body remain tensed. _‘I know he made the right choice, but he didn’t make it out of logic, he made it out of fear… What is this going to do to him?’_

“Oh, that’s good!” the brother smiled, clapping his hands together. “Then the battle’s over.” He laughed emptily and patted Killua on the shoulder. “I lied, Kil. I was lying about killing those two. That was just a little test. But now I have my answer.” His happy expression was gone as he moved his hand to the top of Killua’s head, pushing it down so it was below his own. “You don’t have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me, and do your job as you always have. When the time comes, I’ll tell you to take the Hunter Exam. You don’t need a license yet.”

Killua was a shell, not responding and his eyes blank.

Yuki intercepted Killua as he was walking back to the line of applicants, pulling him into a deep hug and squeezing tightly. She buried her face into his shoulder and spoke quietly to him so his brother wouldn’t overhear and try to twist her words. ”You _are_ my friend. You’re not a killer, you’re a normal kid. Please, please listen to me.” She began rubbing small circles into his back just like her brother used to do to her. “Prove him wrong, beat Bodoro, you can still beat that jerk without fighting him. Gon and I will be okay, I promise, but you need to promise me you’re listening, okay? Okay?”

No response.

She lowered her voice even more and held him tighter. “I know how you feel right now. You’re replaying his words in your head over and over, trying to prove them right. You can’t even listen to someone showing you that they’re wrong.”

**_A tall figure, features indistinguishable from the sunset behind him, reached out, palm up to the heavens. His shadow engulfed the form of a small child, trembling in absolute primal fear as the world around her continued, unknowing of her plight. The final ultimatum._ **

Yuki tried to shut down her memories; Killua was more important right now. “I know it’s going to be hard, but please listen, he’s lying to you, I don’t even have to know you for more than a few weeks to see that. You’re snarky, playful, curious, and you just want to have fun for once in your life.”

Yuki waited, hoping for some sort of acknowledgement, but nothing came out of the lifeless boy.

Kurapika and Leorio tried to follow in suit, talking to him as he stood stiffly in Yuki’s embrace, only to receive the same response.

When Leorio and Bodoro’s match started, Yuki thought she finally made some progress as Killua carefully put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her away extremely gently as if she was a porcelain doll. She smiled, hoping to see those bright blue eyes again, only for it to drop when she saw his dark features.

“Killua?” she tried to talk to him, watching in confusion as he turned away from her and began walking toward Bodoro. “Killua?” she repeated a little louder this time. That seemed to catch the attention of Bodoro, who turned around to see the boy standing behind him, staring at the ground. That’s when she saw his hand, which had turned into bladelike nails. She began running forward. “Wait!”

It was too late, as Killua thrust his hand upwards, cutting into Bodoro’s chest and killing him instantly. Yuki gasped, stopping in her tracks as Bodoro’s body dropped to the ground, Killua’s dead eyes meeting hers, his face splattered with blood.

And just like that, he was disqualified. Ignoring the pleas of Yuki, Kurapika and Leorio, Killua walked out the doors, not looking back or saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I tried to incorporate as much extra stuff as possible since this episode isn’t really flexible in what I can manipulate to make it more original. I hope you like the mystery of what’s going on in Yuki’s memories haha. I’m on break right now and I just submitted my biggest college application so I thought this was a good time to write. We’re almost done with the first arc! After the next few chapters, I’ll do a Q&A (without spoilers) so start thinking of questions! Lastly, PLEASE COMMENT! I will be overjoyed and as you probably already know if you read any of these, they are literally the reason I write. Thank you, and see you soon!
> 
> *By the way, I added something small at the end of Chapter 14, but it’s just something I missed, no big plot change or anything.


	17. Chapter 17

Yuki’s head whipped to the door as it was slammed open, a loud crash reverberating through the room. From her seat in the top far corner, she was able to see Gon directly across the room. Though he looked better than when he was carried off, his arm was wrapped in a sling and a “x” shaped bandage was stuck on his forehead. Most of all, his eyes burned with a fury that looked out of place on his young features.

His eyes met her for a split second as he swept the room. He must have found his target as he began walking down the steps of the lecture hall. She looked at the back of everyone’s heads they turned to Gon, silently waiting for him to reach the bottom. Her eyes flickered to the entrance as Satotz walked in, standing in the doorway. Gon passed by Leorio and Kurapika in the middle before firmly standing next to Illumi’s pew.

“Apologize to Killua.”

Gon’s voice was loud and firm, finally prompting Illumi to turn and look him in the eye.

“Apologize? For what?” he innocently responded.

Gon furrowed his brow, confused. “You don’t know what you did wrong?”

“Nope.”

Yuki scrunched her face as she quietly clicked her tongue, looking down at the booklet in her hands.

He clenched his fist, declaring, “You don’t have the right to be his brother.”

Illumi turned away, seemingly disinterested now with the conversation. “Must I earn the right to be his brother?”

 _‘Of course. I’d never want a brother who does such awful things in cold blood. Not to mention the messed up way he treats Killua. Manipulating him, trying to get him to be just as awful as he is.’_ She ignored the pang in her chest as her thoughts strayed to Haruto.

She was quickly brought out of her thoughts however when Gon reached over and grabbed Illumi’s forearm, single handedly throwing him over out of his chair and over his head. Despite the rough treatment, Illumi landed softly on his feet without a sound.

“He doesn’t need to earn the right to be my friend!” Yuki’s mouth opened in shock as Gon visibly began squeezing Illumi’s arm, seemingly with all his strength. “Don’t bother apologizing,” Gon changed his directive, “Just take me to see Killua.”

“What will you do then?”

“That should be obvious... I’m gonna rescue Killua!”

“You make it sound as though I kidnapped him…” Illumi laughed. “He walked away on his own.”

“But it wasn’t by choice. He was being manipulated by you people.” Yuki blinked and pursed her lips. “It’s the same thing as kidnapping him!” Her eyes shot to her lap as her knee began bouncing.

The sound of Netero’s wooden shoes against the tile disrupted the tense atmosphere. “We happened to be discussing this very subject, Gon. Kurapika and Leorio have both lodged complaints. The committee has been discussing the fairness of Killua’s disqualification.” Gon noticed that Yuki’s name hadn’t been mentioned in his statement.

Kurapika stood up from his seat, resuming his argument from before Gon had walked in. “Killua had been behaving in a strange manner during and since his battle with the man who called himself Gittarackur! I believe he was hypnotized into committing murder. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to use hypnosis to induce a person to kill. However, as Killua was raised by a family of assassins, murder was a part of his daily life, so it’s natural that he would lack the ethical restraint of most!”

_‘It’s no use.’_

Leorio stood up in the row behind Kurapika. “I want to mention that the attack happened during the match between Bodoro and me. It’s possible that he was trying to help me. Given that, the one who should be disqualified,” he pointed his thumb at himself, “is me.”

_‘They have no way to prove it. They’re not going to do anything. No one ever does.’_

She fidgeted with her fingers, too cowardly to look at Gon or the two teens who had been defending Killua. _‘This is out of my hands now. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll just go home after the meeting as I was instructed to. It’s unfortunate, but I was given a direct order.’_

“In any case,” Kurapika added, “Killua was not in control of his own actions. Thus, he should not have been disqualified!”

“That is mere speculation,” Netero turned and walked back to his podium. “There is no proof. There were no clear signs of manipulation. In fact, I would question the claim that he was hypnotized. I agree that the incident occurred after the battle between Leorio and Bodoro had begun. At that point, both fighters were evenly matched. Bodoro had more experience. But in terms of raw combat ability, Leorio was the stronger. There was no need for Killua to interfere.”

 _‘Killua, I’m sorry I can’t help you. I wish I could, but I couldn’t…’_ Images of flames creeped into her memory. A tall figure stood over her, shadowed by the glowing inferno behind him. _‘I couldn’t even save myself.’_ She looked away in shame. _‘I’m not strong enough to go against your family. It’s too much of a risk. You’re a good friend, but… my family comes first.’_

Her thoughts toned out the debate happening around her.

_‘I mean, I was given a direct instruction. Take the Hunter Exam, and the moment I’m released I go straight back to the shrine. No detours. Straight back. That’s what she said. She’s in charge of me right now, I can’t go against what she says. Going to get Killua would go against that, so I can’t do it.’_

Yuki ignored the repetitiveness of her thoughts. It wasn’t as if she was trying to convince herself anyways…

_‘…So what happens if I go? Gon will go with me. But he’s pretty reckless. But I’ll make sure he doesn’t get too wound up. Killua is extremely strong, and his brother seems even stronger. I don’t even want to meet his parents. It seems his entire family is against him leaving, so they’d fight back if we try to get Killua… Killua could easily kill me, so his family wouldn’t even blink at sending my head flying… Right, it’s too risky.’_

Her breathing picked up as her heel began quickly tapping against the tile.

_‘Besides, even if we get past them, his brother can just brainwash him again so Killua doesn’t leave… The whole thing is pointless, counterintuitive, and against everything I need to do. I’ll just go-’_

“None of that matters!” Gon’s booming yell shook her out of her thoughts. “It’s pointless to argue over whether someone should have passed. If you aren’t happy about passing, keep working until you’re satisfied. If Killua retakes the Hunter Exam, he’ll definitely pass! It’s unfortunate that he failed this time, but it is what it is. What does matter…” his grip on Illumi’s arm tightened even more. “If you’ve been forcing Killua to kill, against his will, all this time, I’ll make you pay!”

Yuki eyes shot open at Gon’s words.

_“Stay with me, kid, come on, keep your eyes open. Just a few more seconds, I promise.”_

_Breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t see. Everything’s black, no it’s red. What’s going on? Where am I? Yuka? Mommy?_

_“Shit, shit, shit, come on, just a few more seconds!”_

_“Is this the only one?”_

_“The only breathing one.”_

_“The bastard tried to kill her. Injected her with some shit. Didn’t want to leave any traces behind.”_

_Yakuso? Where’s Yakuso?! Is he okay? There’s a fire!_

_“Ikari, now’s not the time. Whatever he put in her is kind of working right now so please shut up.”_

_“Tch, whatever… hey, brat”_

_Please stop touching me, it hurts, it hurts, pain pain hurt pain_

_“She’s not gonna make it-“_

_“Yes she is.”_

_I’m tired._

_“Ikari, she’s not gonna make it!”_

_Cold cold cold I’m tired cold. I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight Yuka, sorry I’m too sleepy for a bedtime story._

_“She’s…I’m sorry…”_

_“…”_

_“She was so young. She doesn’t even look ten…Ikari.”_

_“…yeah?”_

_“…make him burn.”_

_“Don’t worry. **I’ll make him pay**.”_

“Make me pay?” Illumi echoed. “What, exactly, will you do?”

“I won’t do anything,” Gon replied. “Only, once I rescue Killua, I’ll never let you see him again!”

Illumi gave a small hum. He took his free hand and began reaching toward Gon’s head, a mirror of a few hours previously. Gon immediately jumped back. They were in a standstill.

“Ahem,” Netero coughed. “Is everyone finished? Gon is absolutely correct. You must decide for yourselves if you were worthy of passing. You may complain about the results all you like, but we will not be changing our minds. Killua has been disqualified. And the rest of you have passed the exam.”

A moment of silence passed through the lecture hall as people began sitting back in their seats, sans Illumi and Gon. Secretary Beans stepped forward after a nod from Netero.

“Okay, then I shall continue with the orientation.” Yuki listened half-heartedly as Beans listed the benefits of the license, all which she had researched and memorized beforehand. She had already put her license in a secure pocket specially made on her shorts, so there wasn’t a chance of her losing or it being stolen.

“Then, we now declare the eight members here to be new Hunters!”

…

Yuki stood at the base of a tall oak tree in the main plaza, the leaves shading her from the sun. She looked at Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio as they confronted Illumi, too far away to hear the conversation.

_‘Ikari saved me. They all did… even though I didn’t think I needed saving.’_

Now the trio were sitting under a different tree further away, seemingly discussing something. Soon Hanzo came up to talk to them, followed by Pokkle and Satotz. She watched as Kurapika and Leorio headed back inside the building as Gon talked to Satotz.

_‘And now someone I care about is hurting just like I was…’_

Yuki leaned back against the tree, feeling the breeze run through her hair.

_‘Dammit.’_

“Yuki!” She blinked slowly as Gon ran up to her, waving enthusiastically. Kurapika and Leorio trailed behind him.

“Gon,” she dumbly mumbled. “You look… better.”

“Yup! Hey, we’re going to go save Killua at Kukuroo Mountain. You’re coming, right?”

“Gon…” Kurapika mumbled awkwardly, putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “She might not be able to.”

“Huh?”

Yuki tensed at the sudden spotlight. “I… I-I’m not supposed to go anywhere unapproved,” she hastily said.

Gon’s smile slowly deflated. “But it’s for Killua, so you can break the rules this time, right?”

“Gon,” Leorio said more firmly.

Yuki took a step back, looking at the ground. “A-And it’s super risky. His family isn’t going to let him go, and they’re all way stronger than us.”

“So?”

“So there’s no chance of saving him.”

Gon frowned, scrunching up his face. “You don’t know that.”

Yuki grew defensive. “And you do?” She glared right back at him. “What if he doesn’t even want to be saved?”

“Of course he does!” Gon clenched his fists.

Yuki took a step forward in retaliation. “You- _You don’t know that!_ ”

“He’s our friend!” His eyes shined bright with conviction. “It doesn’t matter if he wants to be saved, we’ll save him anyways!”

Kurapika and Leorio watched as Yuki blinked, dumbfounded. She pursed her lips into a thin line, a low noise growing in her throat as if she wanted to say something. Her eyes began to glisten slightly as her toe bounced on the grass. She was at war with herself.

“ _Dammit,_ ” she hissed. Suddenly she raised her head to look at the sky and yelled, “Fine!” Placing her hands on Gon’s shoulders she met his eyes with an intense look. “But if I’m doing this, we’re going all the way until we get him back. **We’re gonna make them pay.** ”

Gon’s expression broke into a grin. “Yeah!”

…

“What’s going on? We’ve been stuck in one place forever,” Leorio grumbled over the sound of honking cars. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the taxi the four were in was stuck as the clock ticked on.

“We’re gonna miss the flight,” Yuki fretted, her eyes fixated on the dashboard clock.

“Pops! Do something!” Leorio asked the driver. Gon held his chin, pouting in thought.

“I’m afraid I can’t help this traffic. And this is the only road.”

“In that case…” Gon grinned.

…

“Yahoo!” Gon jumped in the air happily as the four of them ran on the side of the road, passing all of the cars stuck in traffic.

“Hey, Gon! Do you realize how far away the airport is?” Leorio complained.

“I want to rescue Killua as soon as humanly possible!” Gon yelled back over the sounds of cars.

Yuki grinned as she picked up her pace, running next to Gon. “However far away the airport is, it can’t be more running than we did in the First Phase!” she added.

“You got that right,” Leorio playfully agreed, similarly picking up his pace. Soon they were all running at the same speed as they were two weeks ago back in that long winding tunnel.

Gon turned to look at Yuki who was running in step with him. “Okay… race you to the airport!” He immediately began running faster.

“Huh? Hey! I’m not paying for another meal!” Yuki shouted, running faster to match him. “Gon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Hey yall! Long time no see! College applications and school have finally calmed down enough for me to feel comfortable posting a chapter. This was pretty fun to write, since I was able to skip over a lot of the explaining dialogue and unnecessary parts. Sorry if I’m just making Yuki’s backstory more and more confusing, haha, I promise it’ll all be understandable at one point. I’m writing with a particular timeline in mind, so the flashbacks just kinda skip between those events.
> 
> I just wanted to emphasize that Yuki does care for Killua. But she cares about her family more, and her priorities made her extremely conflicted in this chapter. This was the first time she actually put something before her family. It was one thing helping the others during the exam, she still had a really good chance of passing even if she helped them. This time, she did something against her priorities even though the odds weren’t in her favor. It’s Gon who inspired her, specifically his words, along with the experiences she gained during the past two weeks.
> 
> Thank you for reading! PLEASE COMMENT! I have genuinely missed all of your guy’s comments so much. By the way, thank you SO MUCH for over 200 hearts, you guys are the reason I love posting :)


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